Fear
by CooCooo
Summary: New York, mid-18th century – Isabella Swan has lived with her uncle ever since her parents fell victim to a robbery. One night, when she has to run an errand for her uncle. she falls into the clutches of a pack of nasty vampires who regard her as a nice little toy. What role does her savior Edward play – and what is the reason for his eyes being red?
1. Chapter 1

Hi!

This is my first fic on this page and I would love to hear your opinion :)

Thanks a lot to Too Much Chocolate for beta reading my story!

Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

"Isabella!" The raspy voice of my uncle echoed through the small house, followed by a loud cough.

I was sitting in my small armchair, which was the only property I owned except for the small bed by the wall. Both things were heirlooms of my parents that had been passed on to me after they had died.

As soon as my uncle's furious voice reached my ears, I practically leapt to my feet, which almost led to an unpleasant encounter with the hard ground. I regained my balance at the last second. It was unwise to keep him waiting.

I left my small room quickly and gathered up my dress in order to prevent it from getting dirty on the floor. To be honest, this was quite unnecessary because the dress was an old one and more than an inch too short to reach the floor. However, I did not own a lot of things, and the things I did own, I treated with the utmost care.

The dark and dusty hallway was waiting for me on the other side of the door. I didn't like passing it, and therefore my steps on the dirty ground were quick, until I finally reached the door to my uncle's room. A musty smell met me, and as always when I stepped into this unpleasant room, my eyes began to water. I had to hold back a cough.

"Isabella, you goddamn brat! I'm not in the mood to wait for you!" My uncle was standing in the middle of the room, glaring at me in a threatening way.

He had been getting on in years lately, which was not only apparent from his grey hair, but also from his dull eyes and wrinkled face. He was five years younger than my father - his brother - would have been now. If he and my mother would not have fallen victim to the robbery . . . who knew, maybe they would still be alive.

Automatically, I ducked my head. "Yes uncle. Please excuse my behavior," I whispered while hoping that he wouldn't strike me.

My uncle cursed a few times, but much to my relief, that was all he did. Obviously, he had a good day. In order not to worsen his mood, I kept my eyes on the floor because he didn't like it when I looked around his room.

The reason for that was no secret. He made his drugs in here. I knew where he hid them, filled into small pouches, beneath the loose floorboards in the corner. I knew he made them, but as long as I didn't speak about it, he didn't particularly care.

I wondered to which dark corner of New York he would send me today to sell his wares. One thing was for sure: the men I would be meeting there would haunt me in my darkest dreams. However, I had gotten used to that in all the years I had been running his errands. About two or three times a month, I left our small house under the cover of darkness, which was exactly what I would be doing today too.

"Take that and hide it under your dress," my uncle instructed and I took the little pouch he held out to me, my fingers shaking.

I quickly slipped it into a not very noticeable pocket in my plain dress. I had worn this dress for five years now, but since I hadn't really grown that much in that span of time, I could still wear it. One would not call it beautiful, it had never been that, but it did the job. And the grey cloth protected me against unwelcome glances.

"A man will be waiting for you. Not at the usual meeting point, but at Chambers Street, corner Park Row. Don't get caught and bring me the money," he ordered and I agreed with a quick nod.

Suddenly, the look in his eyes turned pitiless and before I could even register what he was about to do, his flat hand connected with my left cheekbone. I recoiled with fear, but did not react in any other way. I needed to get out of here, now.

"That was for keeping me waiting," he spat and turned his back on me. "Get out now, I have work to do!"

I hastily stepped back into the hallway and closed the door behind me. Then I hurried over to the small wooden door that separated me from the alley outside.

Having arrived there, I took a deep breath. My cheek burned like hell and by now the shape of his hand probably showed on my skin. However, I did not cry, even though it hurt a lot. In the course of time, I had forbidden myself to cry because it came to nothing. Pity was one of the things that were unknown to my uncle. I simply had to learn to react faster when he called for me.

As soundless as possible, I walked through the narrow paths between the rows of houses while glancing over my shoulder from time to time. The moon was unusually bright tonight and the chance of being caught was therefore much bigger. However, I forced myself to keep calm. This wasn't the first time I had run an errand for my uncle. I needn't be afraid.

Instead of focusing on the fear, I concentrated on the world that came to life all around me. One of the few reasons why I liked running these errands was the promise of seeing the city. It wasn't especially beautiful; and a little frightening at night, for sure. However, I spent a large part of my life cooped up in my small room, which was why I always felt joyous when I was allowed to leave the house – for whatever purpose.

While walking, I thought about my uncle. He was the only living member of my family left to me and I didn't think that he had been a bad person from the beginning. Circumstances had forced him to become one, though.

Years ago, when he had taken me in after my parents' death, he scarcely had had enough money to provide for himself. And suddenly, there had been me. It was unnecessary to mention when he had started his new business. Well, one could make a lot of money out of dealing drugs in this area.

Down the alley a cat meowed and all of a sudden I had the feeling that my steps echoed incredibly loud through the darkness. I couldn't deny the strange feeling that took hold of me. Carefully, I felt for the pouch in my pocket and told myself that there was no reason to be afraid.

A quarter of an hour later, I arrived at the street corner my uncle had described to me. My eyes searched the darkness for the man whom he had told me to meet here. However, there was no one to be seen. In fact, I didn't even hear footsteps, it was utterly quiet. I assumed that the crossing streets were cramped with people during the day, but in the middle of the night they lay peaceful and deserted.

Not normal. That was the major thought going through my head. It was not normal that my uncle's clients didn't show up at the agreed meeting point. Neither were they late.

My heartbeat was fast as I made my last steps and came to a halt at the side of the road. Maybe the man was mistaken about the time? That, too, was rather improbable.

For a few minutes, I stood almost motionless at the corner, looking out for potential passers-by. No one came.

The cold night air creeped under the cloth of my dress and goose flesh appeared on my arms. Fortunately, it would be summer soon. I didn't possess any warm garments and chilblains would probably build on my toes if I had to stand here for much longer.

What would my uncle say if I came home without the money? And even more important: what would he do? I better not think too thoroughly about a potential punishment.

Just as I wanted to go back home, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I quickly turned my head around and then froze.

There was a man now. And next to him two other men appeared, seemingly straight out of thin air. I forced myself to keep my equilibrium. I had folded my hands over the pocket of my dress and its content gave me a certain assurance. I knew the procedure. Even though my uncle had only mentioned one client and not three.

They approached with unbelievably smooth movements and eventually stopped about ten feet ahead of me. I didn't even know at which man I should look first. Actually, I had refrained from making eye contact with my uncle's clients up to this point, but these three were . . . different.

Their pale skin seemed to glow in the dark and an elegant smile showed on the face of the man who stood closest to me. I assumed he would be the one to engage in countertrade. Both of the other men stayed a little behind, which made it hard to see their faces. One thing was sure though: in comparison to the men with whom I usually traded at night, these three were quite handsome, if not downright beautiful.

Sure, I didn't really know a lot about men in general because I had never had the opportunity to talk to anyone, except for my uncle's customers, of course. Still, these three had a strange effect on me, and somehow I knew that I could trust them.

"Isabella?" the first one asked and took another step in my direction. His lips curled into a pleasant smile and I nodded quickly and lowered my head. If my uncle saw me like this . . .

"Excellent," the man answered and came even closer, so that he now stood directly in front of me. I didn't particularly like his closeness. Normally, clients kept their distance from me. This night, however, didn't seem normal in any way.

"Ware before payment, little girl," the man instructed, and I could feel his breath on my face. As I breathed in, I lifted my head. This man didn't stink at all, he even smelled good. There was no trace of alcohol or dirt on him, which were smells I could often detect on my uncle.

I flinched as I looked into his eyes. They were red! His eyes - that wasn't possible, was it? Alarmed, I went backwards until I felt the cool brick wall of a building in my back. The stones sharp edges pressed hard into my skin, but I didn't really notice. The initial safety I had felt when first seeing the men slowly evaporated.

Now the two others emerged from the dark - faster than should have been humanly possible - and stepped next to the first man. They built a solid wall in front of me and I staggered slightly. My eyes searched frantically for a way to escape, but they were so close that it seemed impossible to flee. I took another deep breath and slowly shook my head. I was in control, there was no reason to panic now. I still had the drugs.

With shaking fingers, I seized the little pouch and pulled it out of my pocket. For a moment, I let it dangle between us, like a small barrier. None of them made a move to grab for the pouch though. Terrified, I felt cold creep all over my body. Why didn't they take the drugs?

A dark laughter pierced through the night and left my ears ringing.

"I didn't mean that kind of ware, sweetheart. You can keep that shit. I meant something entirely different."

Three red-gleaming, greedy pairs of eyes were directed at me, and terror-stricken, I let go of the small pouch which fell to the ground with a slight thud.

"That's right, you won't need that anymore," said one of the other men, a creepy smile on his face. "Just concentrate on us."


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys!

I finally have the second chapter for you, sorry for the delay!

Thanks to my beta Too much Chocolate for correcting my mistakes.

Warning: There will be rape in this chapter, just so you're warned.

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Chapter 2

My heartbeat was so fast and loud that I could hear every single beat. Toc-toc, toc-toc, toc-toc. Danger, danger, danger! The words echoed through my head.

Before I could think twice about it, I had pushed off the wall, slipped under the arm of one of the men and ran. My dress didn't leave much freedom to move and I wasn't used to running. Still, the last thing I would do was remain back there, where they would do all sorts of terrible things to me, and not even try to escape.

I ran as fast as I could, but suddenly collided with a hard wall and was thrown back. Upon impact with the ground every inch of air was pressed out of my lungs and a hot pain sliced through my tailbone. My hands were burning because I had tried to soften my fall and grazed them in the process.

"Careful, little beauty."

I blinked a few times and saw the man who had first addressed me and who now turned out to be the wall I had run into. That was impossible! I hadn't even seen him passing me. No one could be that fast!

"We made a fair deal with your uncle. Besides, he got a decent amount of money in exchange for you. So be a good girl now."

He bent down and I suddenly was on my feet again, shaking and held in a vice-like grip.

My uncle had . . . no! Maybe he wasn't the best family member one could imagine, but he would never sell me like this . . . would he?

"He wouldn't do that! You're lying," I wanted to scream into the man's face, but my voice came out in a croak.

"He most certainly is not," another voice, coming from the darkness, denied.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" asked the man holding me and I flinched at his growl.

He gripped one of my hands and held it up. A few drops of blood ran down my wrist and I shuddered as I noticed how he was staring at them with fascination. Something was very, very wrong.

I couldn't have imagined what happened next, not even in my worst dreams. Suddenly, the two other men were back and the three of them now built a narrow circle around me that seemed impossible to escape. My legs gave way and the only thing keeping me in an upright position was the man's grip.

He lifted my arm to his mouth and slowly licked the blood drops from my skin. A gleam which bordered on lunatic filled his eyes and I gave out a scream as his hand gripped even harder around my wrist. Immediately, a piece of cloth was pushed into my mouth and my nostrils desperately flared in order to get enough air.

"Just as good as she smells," breathed the man who had tasted my blood. His nose shifted over my ice-cold skin. "It's actually even better."

I had known something like this could happen, I had known all these years. Nothing had ever happened though. And now, I was trapped. However, I had always thought that such men would want something else other than my blood.

"The master won't resent us having a little taste," said one of the other men and I felt another hand touching my skin, this one on the side of my neck.

I was so frightened that I couldn't even turn away or defend myself in any way. Tears rolled down my cheeks and only now I realized that I was crying. The sobs, however, were absorbed by the thick cloth in my mouth.

A third hand came to rest on my hip and pressed down too hard.

"Her body is quite a good one, too," the man belonging to the hand said and let his fingers trace upwards until they reached my ribcage.

The feeling made me gag. My body seemed to have turned to stone, the tears welling up in my eyes prevented me from seeing anything but blurred contours and I felt utterly helpless, alone and dirty.

"You can't deny us a little fun, darling," snarled one of them and by now, I couldn't even tell where the voice came from anymore, let alone whom it belonged to. It echoed through my head, it hurt and made everything so much worse.

And suddenly, there were hands everywhere. They were digging through the thin cloth of my dress and into my skin, into my flesh, pawing at me. A cry filled with despair found a way out of my mouth, past the cloth. It reverberated through the silent streets of New York, but no one answered.

"Shut your mouth!" someone snarled into my ear.

The thin cloth of my dress that had kept their dirty fingers at bay eventually tore. First, the dress dropped to the ground, then my girdle. I could feel them, on every inch of my skin. The cold took complete possession of me. I closed my eyes, weeping silently, and tried to withdraw into myself, tried to block out what was happening around me.

However, the cold hands on my naked skin, my waist, my breasts, my behind, and their loud and animalistic breathing prevented me from doing so. The disgusting fingers discovered every inch of my body and I could feel them coming closer and closer. My arms were pressed flat to my sides, so that I was completely at their mercy. They didn't seem to feel any mercy, though.

"One doesn't get to see such a magnificent specimen every day. I will have her first, you can have her afterwards."

I could practically feel his greedy eyes raking over my body, followed by a pair of hands.

"That is if something is left for you," he laughed and pinched my breast with an animalistic growl.

My body was shaking with silent sobs and I shut my eyes even tighter. This couldn't be happening!

Something hard came down on my shoulder and I staggered backwards, lost my balance and fell onto the soiled ground; completely exposed to my aggressor. Sharp stones buried into my back and I wrapped my arms in front of my breasts, unable to do anything else. Only one second later, the man pressed them back down at my sides, almost dislocating them.

When feeling a heavy body coming down on me, I closed my eyes again. I didn't want to see those red eyes. The man rubbed himself against me and uttered a few revolting noises which produced a bitter taste in my mouth. My whole body was shaking.

His cold and hard lips lay at the side of my neck, and all of a sudden there was a sharp pain. Even though his heavy weight held me down, I tossed and turned underneath him, gasping for air. It was a burning pain, hot and bright, eating its way through my skin, infiltrating my bloodstream and spreading through my whole body. I was burning! Flames had seized my body!

I wanted to wail and cry, wanted to kick out and defend myself; but I couldn't. I lay stone-still and began to hope for a quick end. Then the pain slowly diminished and turned into a violent ache at my neck. Through the roaring in my ears, I could vaguely hear my own panting.

They would kill me. This small thought, having such an importance, suddenly sounded wonderful. I feared, however, that they wouldn't be so generous as to grant me a quick end.

Pressing my eyes together, I tried to concentrate on the ache at my neck and not on the rough hands gliding over my body, over and over again. They were degrading me, dishonoring me.

Then there was a violent pain between my legs and I felt something that didn't belong there. I screamed, spat the piece of cloth on the ground beside me and cried. Unstoppable tears ran over my cheeks. I gave up.

And then the weight on top of me, the pain down there and the burning ache at my neck suddenly disappeared. Immediately, I rolled up into a ball and tried to occupy as little space as possible.

A loud hissing noise, growling and snarling filled the air; but I didn't want to see, feel or hear anything. So I just stayed on the ground, trying to cover myself up. Unfortunately, my dress lay torn into pieces and stained with blood a few feet from where I was lying. I wouldn't be able to wear it anymore.

The noise lasted only a few seconds and then it got very quiet. All this time, I stayed still and kept my eyes closed. Unintelligible voices added up to the persisting roaring in my ears. Luckily, they didn't seem to belong to the three men. Was that a woman's voice or had I started hallucinating? A soft male voice began talking to me in a soothing tone, saying that everything was over now, that I needed to get out of the cold, that everything would be fine.

I wanted him to go away. I didn't believe him.

The woman said something too, but it was too quiet for me to understand. Something soft was draped over and around me, maybe a blanket. I still had my eyes closed. Then I felt myself being lifted into the air. Strong arms held me up as if I were a little child and this made me reopen my eyes abruptly.

In the beginning, my sight was a little blurred, but then I looked directly into the face of a young man. He was unbelievably beautiful and showed a confusing resemblance to the man that had assaulted me. I screamed.

"Shh, do not be afraid," he said in a melodic voice and I was confronted with a pair of blood-red eyes that bored into mine. Red. Panic spread rapidly inside me. He was one of them! My screams echoed through the empty streets, but no one seemed to care. The people in this area avoided getting involved.

"I won't harm you," the man continued in his soothing voice.

All of a sudden, he began to walk in a certain direction. What did he intend to do? Where was he taking me? I was still screaming like a lunatic.

"L-leave me alone!" I shouted with all my might and started to fight against him.

My hand hit his face, but he didn't stop me as I hit him again and again with not nearly enough force. I cried even louder as my hand began to hurt.

"Edward, let me take her." That was a woman's voice, clear as a bell. What kind of role did she play? Was she an accomplice? Did she get paid for this?

"Maybe that is the better solution." The man sighed and handed me over to the woman. I wasn't able to really focus on my surroundings yet, but she seemed far too small and petite to carry me. However, she didn't appear to have any trouble holding me. As she walked through the streets, I hardly felt her steps because she moved as light as a feather.

I had to admit that her little trick had worked out. As soon as the woman - or maybe she was still a girl - carried me, my fear went down drastically. She wouldn't hurt me.

I felt so miserable. And I was ashamed that she had to carry me as good as naked through the city. Even though the blanket covered the most important parts of my body, it was still a disgrace. My head hurt in a dreadful way and I felt faint. I had lost far too much blood.

The man and the girl were talking quietly while they walked, but I didn't even try to listen. The last thing I noticed was crossing a threshold and being carried into a bright hallway. Then everything became dark.


	3. Chapter 2,5

Hi there :)

Here's the next chapter, this time from Edward's point of view..

Thank you so much for your reviews!

And thanks to Too much Chocolate for beta reading the chapter :)

Enjoy!

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Chapter 2,5 – Edward's POV

Alice let the man's body she had been drinking from slide to the ground, and licked her lips. The man uttered some unintelligible sounds and I could see him slowly losing consciousness. When he came to his senses again, he would probably think that he had had a nightmare. Judging by the stink of alcohol he gave off, however, it was more likely that he wouldn't remember anything at all. It remained a mystery to me why my sister seemed unaffected by the foul taste of his blood. In this respect, I was more of a gourmet.

Before we had found the alcoholic in this alley, I had already drunk my fill from an older man. He, too, hadn't necessarily been to my taste, but I hadn't had many options in this area. And since Alice would return to the rest of my family soon, I hadn't wanted to waste time searching for someone tastier.

"Did I tell you that Carlisle tried an alternative way of feeding a few days ago?" my sister asked.

I negated and listened attentively while she explained Carlisle's idea of feeding off animals. The simple thought of exchanging the pure, rich taste of human blood for that of animals didn't sit well with me.

"How did it agree with him?" I was cognizant that especially Carlisle suffered because he needed to feed off humans. If there was an alternative, I would be glad for him, even though I would never feed off an animal myself.

"I left a few hours after his experiment, but at that point in time he said that it satiated his thirst." Alice smiled.

"I'm pleased for him," I replied honestly.

We started to head back to my mansion. Since it was dark we could move faster than in daylight when the streets were crowded with people. That was one of the reasons why I preferred hunting at night. There was no need to put on an act, and my true nature could unfold.

After we were half of the way back home, I heard _her_ for the first time. It was a despairing scream, probably shouted out with all her might and just loud enough to reach my ears. I slowed my pace, unable to act against it, until I eventually came to a halt.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice's eyes dilating and she halted not even a fraction of a second later. Then, before I could say anything, she tore off, tracking the screams that still reverberated through the night. Without hesitation, I followed and eventually passed her. Only a few representatives of my species could keep up with my speed.

Voices belonging to at least two men became louder and clearer. I quickened my pace a little. The girl had stopped screaming, but I concentrated on the thoughts of the men and therefore knew where I had to go.

Of course they were vampires. And what I additionally learned was that they worked for Aro. This information made me freeze in my movements for a split second, but only until I heard another quiet whimpering.

In a futile attempt, I searched for her thoughts - I couldn't hear anything she was thinking which was really more than odd. I tried anew, but only received blackness. Why was I incapable of reading her mind? Had she already lost consciousness? All the same, I should still be able to hear at least snippets of her thoughts. This was curious.

I knew exactly what those three vampires had planned for her. And even though I had been acting in a similar way not too many years ago, I just couldn't leave her to her own devices. It was her profoundly despairing voice, and the fact that I couldn't read her mind, that made me pick up more and more speed.

Suddenly, I saw her on the side of the crossroad. No more than ten seconds had passed since I had started running, but I felt like I hadn't been fast enough.

She was lying on the ground, completely naked. I could see grey scraps of cloth, that must have been her dress once, scattered around her. Her face was turned to the side, twisted in pain. The vampire on top of her was pressing her to the ground, penetrating her while drinking her blood. The two others stood not far behind him and observed what was happening with self-satisfied faces.

On seeing this, a shiver ran through my body and without thinking twice about it, I lunged at the vampire who was lying on the girl. I was lucky that he didn't particularly pay attention to his surroundings and instead fully concentrated on the girl. It was only when I had already dragged him off the girl and severed his head, that I perceived the wonderful smell. It had to be her blood. Although I had just fed, I suddenly felt as if flames were burning hot within my throat. That hadn't happened to me in years and it was impossible to withhold the gasp that fled my mouth.

My gaze travelled back to the girl that had rolled up into a ball as soon as the vampire's weight had left her body. She was crying softly and for a moment I was sure that I would throw myself at her in the next second. Then, however, I heard a noise at my back and whirled around, just quickly enough to see my sister launching herself at one of the two remaining vampires. They started fighting and threatening hissing sounds filled the air. None of the local residents would care, though. We were in one of the slum areas of the city.

Up to this point, everything had happened so fast that the third vampire only realized now that his two comrades were dead or on the verge thereof. His eyes flickered between my fighting sister and me. In the blink of an eye, he whirled around, trying to save his miserable life by fleeing. After a few feet, I had caught up with him and went for his skull in order to decapitate him. He managed to shake me off and also landed a punch to my abdomen. Anger, hot and heavy, surged up in me, but I was still on his heels. He didn't really think he would escape just like that, did he?

A painful scream tore through the night, followed by silence. I didn't need to turn around to know that Alice had accomplished her task. Using the powerful anger that burned inside me, I jumped off the ground and at his neck. With one quick movement I had severed his head from the rest of his body and it slumped lifelessly to the ground. I threw his head to the filthy earth and turned around.

My feet brought me back to the girl who still lay motionless on the cold ground, and I crouched down behind her.

The three vampires couldn't have been all that old; otherwise their reactions would have been much better. Their insufficient training was another obvious hint pointing to Aro. He'd rather invest in young, untrained and freshly turned vampires than in adequate training. I had told him about this weak spot over and over again, but he hadn't wanted to change anything about it. Luckily, as it turned out now.

I knew that we needed to burn the corpses as quick as possible, before they came to life again to piece themselves together. My eyes, however, seemed to be glued to the dirty and still exquisitely smelling girl in front of me. Her back was scratched open at several spots and she was bleeding a little, which really put me to the test. Apart from the wounds, her fair skin was flawless. She was almost as pale as me. Her hair was knotted in a dozen places and filthy, but I imagined it falling over her shoulders in soft waves when in a clean state.

I heard Alice piling the mutilated corpses on top of one another. I should be helping her. My eyes were locked on the girl.

A few seconds later, an abhorrent smell infiltrated the air and in a few minutes only a heap of ash would testify the existence of the three vampires.

"Edward," Alice called and I detected a warning note in her voice. Only now did I notice that I had bent down a little and that my mouth was far too close to the girl's neck. My throat was burning, but fortunately the stench of the fire eclipsed her smell a little.

I leaned back quickly and gazed cautiously in Alice's direction. She returned my gaze with furious eyes. It was more than obvious that she wasn't especially delighted about my sudden act of salvation. I didn't need to read her mind to know that.

"What would you have done if they had been older and more experienced?" she asked and crinkled her nose as the wind turned and a surge of burning flesh drifted toward us.

"The same. However, Aro wouldn't assign such trivial tasks to his older subordinates," I explained. Alice remained silent and kneeled down beside me.

"Those were Aro's men?" She sounded shocked. I nodded silently.

"And you killed them nonetheless? What had they planned for her?"

My jaw clenched. Wasn't that obvious?

"Besides from what we saw? They were ordered to bring her to him. Aro. You know what that entails."

Alice nodded slowly and gazed sympathetically at the girl's bloody back. Didn't she feel the overwhelming urge to feed on her? Didn't she smell her divine blood? The only thing I could read in her thoughts, however, was gladness for having found the poor thing before the vampires had done something worse to her. Internally, I agreed with her.

Looking back at the girl, I tried once again to force my way into her mind, but still had no success. It felt as if she was surrounded by a wall that kept me out. Genuine curiosity awakened inside of me.

"What do you plan on doing with her now?" my sister demanded.

I thought about that question for a second. "I will take her with me."

Before she could react by telling me that this was impossible, I spoke to the girl, talking considerably slower and louder than before.

"There is no need to be afraid now. No one will touch a hair on your head," I promised and realized at that very moment how unbelievably ridiculous this sounded, coming from a vampire. Who did I think I was to make her such a promise? A new intense cloud of her divine blood hit me and I stopped breathing. My teeth sank into my gums and my whole body was screaming for me to complete what the three vampires had begun. Only a small part of my common sense forbade me to feed off her. I hadn't killed the three in vain.

Even though I hated not being able to smell, I hated the desire to drink her blood just as much. It was safer if I didn't breathe anymore.

The girl's whole body was shaking by now and I felt pity for her, which was a feeling I hadn't felt in a long while.

"It is over now. We need to get you out of the cold. Everything will be fine," I went on, feeling like talking to the air because she didn't show any reaction.

"You do know about the consequences if Aro finds out, don't you?" Alice asked and glanced at me sharply. I nodded. Of course I knew.

The girl still didn't move except for the shaking. Maybe she felt ashamed for not wearing any clothing. Quickly, I removed my frock coat and draped it cautiously over her slim body, trying to not frighten her. Silently, I scolded myself for not having thought of covering her earlier.

Carefully, I lifted her into my arms, wrapped up into my frock coat, and got up. She was incredibly light, even for human standards. Potentially, I could squash her by moving my small finger, which was why I wanted to bring her home as fast as possible. Another reason was the blood that was still seeping from the wound on her neck. I could close it with my tongue, but I doubted I possessed enough self-control at the moment. The memory of her smell was stuck in my head, and even though I couldn't smell it anymore, my throat was still burning.

After having taken a few steps, I saw the girl open her eyes wide. She needed some time to finally find my face, but when she did, I almost came to a stop. She seemed terrified, but her eyes . . . they were big and brown, a soft beautiful brown. She looked directly into my eyes. Into my red eyes that looked exactly like the ones of her aggressors.

"Shh, do not be afraid," I whispered and put a friendly smile onto my face which felt incredibly faked.

Her eyes dilated and her gaze shifted through the darkness. A small whimper escaped her throat and I could hear and feel her fast-beating heart.

Then she started screaming. Damn.

"I won't harm you," I promised her and myself at the same time. I would not harm her.

In the meantime, Alice had caught up with me and was now walking next to me.

"L-leave me alone," the girl squealed with a sore voice and one second later, she started to kick at me. Her hand connected with my face and I assumed that she had wanted to hit me, but I barely felt her touch at all. She repeated the act, though for all I felt it could have been a tender caress. I began to admire the softness of her skin.

"Edward, let me take her," suggested Alice and stepped expectantly in front of me.

Her thoughts told me that the girl would be less frightened when carried by a woman. I knew that she had a point, but it was astonishingly hard to actually hand the girl over to her.

"Maybe that is the better solution," I admitted and forced myself to put her into Alice's arms. My worries were ridiculous. I knew my sister and could be assured that nothing whatsoever would happen to the girl as long as she was with Alice. Still - she was so very fragile.

As soon as the girl was in Alice's care, all her attempts to defend herself subsided and her eyes fell shut after a few seconds. She seemed absolutely exhausted.

"There we go," Alice said quietly and smiled contently down at the girl. The expression on her face changed drastically, however, when looking at me afterwards. Her eyes were full of accusation.

"You've never acted this overhastily before. What did you see in the girl that made you forget your principles?" she asked while walking beside me.

I shrugged my shoulders, because I really didn't know what had come over me. Alice was right. My act had been thoughtless. However, I wouldn't have had another chance, would I?

"Aro won't find out," I assured her. My mansion came into view and I was glad that I could put her into safety soon.

My gaze settled on the girl's face that seemed relaxed while she was drifting off to sleep. And as if her tempting smell wasn't enough already, I realized in horror that she additionally was very beautiful, in a natural way. Her beauty was different from the flawlessness that came with living as a vampire and which didn't appeal to me anymore. It was a miracle that this girl united such beauty in both smell and appearance.

"Edward, it isn't such a long time ago that you . . . you surely won't . . ."

It was a rare occurrence that Alice was lacking words. Her mind, however, told me the reason for her insecurity and I clenched my jaw. She feared that I would relapse as soon as I had the girl in my living quarters.

I shook my head defensively. That would not be the case. Not even her heavenly blood would change my resolution. At least I hoped it wouldn't.

We crossed the front garden and the threshold and Alice stopped in my entrance hall, the sleeping beauty still in her arms. My sister sighed.

"Listen, you've probably figured out by now that I don't approve of her being here. And I don't even know from whom she needs to keep her distance more. From you or from that disgusting pig," she added with a sidelong glance at my salon door behind which I could hear Jonathan reading a paper. I gazed at her reproachfully.

"He is my friend, Alice. I told you a hundred times that I don't want you to talk about him in such a manner," I reprimanded her, but she only shrugged her shoulders.

"I will stay a little longer," she replied then, much to my surprise. My eyes narrowed.

"You don't trust me," I stated the obvious.

Alice sighed once again and looked down at the girl in her arms.

"I don't trust Jonathan. And I also don't trust your old self, your dark side - or whatever you want to call it - that brought girls back to this place up until a few years ago and . . ."

I interrupted her with a harsh gesture.

"Those times have passed, Alice. And I don't want to talk about them."

I looked back at the girl. "Maybe we should clean her and put her in some fresh clothes?"

"I will clean her and put her into fresh clothes," my sister corrected and was already halfway up the stairs before the last word had left her mouth.

A few seconds later, I was still standing in the entrance hall and tried to calm the dreadful restlessness inside of me. Why was I this agitated? And for what reason had I made the ludicrous resolution to take her with me? She would start screaming again as soon as she came back to her senses and saw me. It was probably for the best that Alice stayed for a little while longer. This girl triggered an inexplicable fear inside me, which I couldn't explain.

Since she wasn't in my range anymore, I cautiously drew a breath. However, there was still a note of her scent in the air and my throat went up in flames immediately. My eyes settled on a little red spot on my left hand.

Within a few milliseconds, I had cleansed her blood from my hand under the faucet in the kitchen, not wanting to be tempted. I knew that if I tasted her blood once, I wouldn't be able to hold back anymore.

I returned to the entrance hall in order to listen for any sounds coming from above. Everything seemed fine though, and I seized the opportunity. I would hunt for as long as she was asleep and drink as much as I could. Because one thing was for sure: if I wanted to be near her, I needed to be completely satiated.


	4. Chapter 3

Hi there :)

Thank you so much for your reviews. I'm really glad you like the story!

And thanks again to Too much Chocolate for beta reading the chapter :)

Have fun!

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Chapter 3

When I opened my eyes again, I still couldn't see much except for darkness. Cautiously, I looked around and noticed that I found myself in a decent sized room. Someone had closed the curtains so that only two small stripes of light fell onto the floor. Night had become day.

But where was I? The bed I was lying in seemed huge, and the mattress felt incredibly comfortable underneath my body. A big bookshelf stood at the left wall, and on the opposite side of the room was a small seating corner with two elegant armchairs and a sofa. I even saw a golden framed mirror hanging next to the door. Unfortunately, it hung too high to see myself in it, which was quite a shame because I hadn't seen my reflection in ages. And back then, it had only been a milky window pane that had mirrored my appearance.

Coming back to the room I found myself in, I decided I found it very beautiful. All the pretty pieces of furniture distracted me so much that I initially didn't notice that I wasn't the only person in the room.

Then, however, my gaze shifted over to the chair that stood not far from my bed. A man was sitting inside it. I recoiled immediately and pulled the blanket a little higher over my face, trying to be discreet. Maybe I could still pretend to be asleep.

To my dismay, the person leaned forward and said in a pleasant and soft voice: "Good morning."

It was the man the girl had called Edward.

And all at once, all the memories were back. A shiver of disgust crawled over my back and I pressed my eyes shut. Had I dreamt everything in the end?

But then I noticed the burning ache at the side of my neck and also the pain in my lower abdomen, even though it had decreased. All over my body, my skin felt strangely sore, as if it was covered with bruises. Cold sweat coated my forehead.

It felt so . . . unreal. One thing was for sure, though: someone had left me bereft of my virginity and . . . drunk my blood. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Don't cry, you are safe now," the man said. Not one second later, light flooded the room.

He had pushed the curtains back. But I didn't want the light, I wanted to stay in the darkness, creep inside it and never come out again. He had seen me. Naked, stained and dishonored.

"I'm going to bring you some food and drink. My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. I could feel his eyes on me.

Then I heard a door opening and closing shortly after. I sighed with relief and sat up. My body seemed as clean as it hadn't been in a long time, but I still felt incredibly dirty. Even my hair smelled unusually flowery. Apparently, someone had washed me. I fervently hoped it had been the girl, because every other option caused a surge of nausea. Also, I only wore a thin blue nightdress that looked really valuable.

Was I at this master's mansion the three men had talked about? Was Mr Cullen the master? Blackness pushed into my field of vision and I had to take deep breaths. Someone who commanded such gruesome creatures couldn't be a good person. And I was sure that I wouldn't be able to go through another attack.

It was very quiet for a few seconds, but then the door opened again. The first thing I saw was a tray overloaded with all sorts of delicacies. This sight caused my stomach to utter a hungry growl. Not in my entire life had I ever seen so many edible things at once.

Then Mr Cullen stepped into the room. He wore a blue frock coat which was adorned with silver embroidery. It looked unnaturally good on him. This man really had to be rich.

However, his frock coat wasn't buttoned up all the way and a white shirt peeked out beneath it. He was in his own house, but I still found his way of dressing very unconventional. I knew that some men even wore their top hats within their own four walls.

My gaze returned to Mr Cullen, and I began to wonder how old he was. Judging by his appearance, he couldn't be much older than me, maybe twenty years old. I was surprised that he had so much money at his disposal at such a young age.

What attracted my attention even more, though, was his breathtaking beauty. Sure, the men of yesterday's eve had been handsome as well, but Mr Cullen appeared even more attractive in comparison to them. Almost angelic.

His bronze colored hair was bound with a simple bow at his neck, and his movements were soft and sleek as he came closer. A few sunbeams fell through the window onto his skin and I imagined seeing it sparkle. He genuinely was a piece of art.

Then, however, my gaze found its way back to his red eyes and the spell was broken.

Quickly, I looked away and felt myself slowly reddening. It wasn't proper for me to stare at him in such a way and I hoped he hadn't noticed and wouldn't punish me for it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr Cullen placing the tray on a small table that stood next to my bed. He sat down on the chair again and I could feel his gaze lingering on me.

"How do you feel?" he asked and filled water from a filigree glass jug into a cup.

My dry throat beckoned for a drink, but I forced myself not to move. It could be a trick.

I felt those horrible red eyes lingering on my face. He seemed to scrutinize me.

"You're probably hungry," he continued without taking his eyes from my face.

I rolled to the side so that he could only see my back now. Immediately, I had a bad feeling about it because I couldn't see what he was doing any longer, or if he would attack me in the next moment. Still, this was better than having to look at him.

Mr Cullen sighed but I kept still.

"Will you at least tell me your name?" he asked and I could hear impatience in his voice, maybe even something threatening.

I couldn't begin to guess what he had in mind. Did he want to lull me into a false sense of security so he would have an easier job later on?

A few seconds went by and the bad feeling grew. Was he already standing right behind me and . . .

I couldn't bear not knowing what he was doing any longer and turned back around. To my great relief, he was still sitting on his chair, but had leaned forward a little and had his eyes fixed on me.

However much I tried to act against my thoughts, I couldn't deny that I had never seen a man more handsome. Not even his red eyes could belittle his beauty.

A sound coming from the door attracted my attention.

A second man came into the room. He wasn't very tall, and neither very handsome. The first thing I noticed, however, was the absence of red eyes in his face. A normal, sympathetic human being, I hoped.

"Good day," he said in a voice that went through every fiber of my body.

I had definitely misjudged him. This man frightened me even more than Mr Cullen, even though he didn't have red eyes and wasn't confusingly beautiful. I didn't exactly know why I felt like trusting him was a bad decision. Maybe it was his slimy smile or his dark, rumbling voice. I wasn't sure. One thing I was sure of, however, was that he was decisively older than Mr Cullen. I estimated him to be almost as old as my uncle.

"She is a beauty indeed," the man said to Mr Cullen. "What luck you found her in time, it would have been a waste otherwise."

His small pig-like eyes scrutinized me with unhidden interest. I pulled the blanket a little higher.

Mr Cullen didn't pay attention to the words of the strange man.

"This is a good friend of mine, Jonathan Thurgood. I vouch for him, you can trust him," he assured.

But I didn't even trust him, why then should I trust this well fed man who was watching me with almost greedy eyes?

Luckily, just then, the door opened for a third time and I needn't think about it any longer. The petite woman, who had obviously carried me into this house yesterday, stepped into the room. I could only stare at her, astonished. How had she been able to carry me?

She was wearing a violet dress that literally flowed down over her small figure. It looked magnificent on her.

"Hello," she said and closed the door behind her.

She came closer in a prancing-like manner, seemed to hover a few inches above the ground, and finally sat down on the side of my bed. I saw Mr Cullen giving her a doubtful eye, but she didn't seem to notice.

"My name is Alice. Alice Cullen," she said in a pure, sweet voice, reminding me of the sound of a bell.

She turned around to face me with a smile. Her face was nearly as beautiful as Mr Cullen's. Her features were of a childlike nature, but she seemed to be an adult.

I wasn't sure if I had anticipated it anyway, because I didn't flinch as my gaze found her red eyes. Maybe it was a disease that turned their eyes red? A gene mutation? However, I didn't think I needed to be afraid of her.

"I'm Edward's sister. Or rather his foster-sister," she explained, still smiling brightly. "And what is your name?"

Her naturally friendly way of speaking made me open my mouth at last.

"Isabella," I heard myself say and cleared my throat to make my voice sound less rusty.

"It is nice to make your acquaintance, Isabella," Alice smiled.

"She wasn't willing to tell me," responded Mr Cullen and he sounded as if this fact frustrated him a lot.

"If I were her, I wouldn't trust you either." She leaned down a little. "You know, my brother is a rather wicked character," she whispered conspiratorially. Was she being serious or was this supposed to be a joke?

Mr Cullen cast a disapproving glance at her.

The other man had approached my bed and was now standing very close. His thighs touched the edge of the bed and I felt like a prisoner between him on the one and Mr Cullen on the other side.

Mr Cullen's sister smoothed out her dress and sighed with a content smile on her face.

"Finally, there is a bit of a change in this house. I don't even know the last time you had a female guest the last time, Edward," she said and winked at her brother.

Upon her words, Mr Cullen's facial features literally turned into stone and his mouth became a harsh line. He was so tense that the air around him seemed to be charged with electricity.

"Oh," Alice murmured, as soon as she noticed her mistake. "I'm sorry."

That was all she said. Mr Cullen's face stayed strained for a little while and I wondered for how long he would manage to keep his self-control. What was the reason for the impact Miss Cullen's words had on him?

"Please, eat," he addressed me after about a minute of silence.

My gaze travelled longingly to the tray which held a big loaf of bread, an apple, a chicken breast, an egg, a piece of cheese and some berries. Normally, I could live off those things for several days, if not a whole week.

"Do not worry, I didn't poison it," Mr Cullen assured and gave me a disconcertingly beautiful smile.

Mistrust arose in me. I hadn't thought of this possibility until now.

"This one is very stubborn," I heard Mr Thurgood say, and the next second he groped for the apple on the tray.

Before he could catch hold of it though, Mr Cullen's hand shot out and gripped the apple.

Everything happened so fast that I only registered Mr Cullen's hand, which he now held in front of my face, after several seconds. My eyes fixed on the apple.

"Behave yourself, Jonathan," Mr Cullen reprimanded in a low voice. I imagined Mr Thurgood shrinking a few inches under Mr Cullen's heavy gaze. "You know what she went through."

The apple was still lying in his hand. It was probably futile to deny my hunger. And since my stomach growled hungrily at this exact moment, I forced myself to take the apple from his hand, anxious to avoid touching him.

"Well, my friend, that's an area you are more experienced in than I am," Mr Thurgood responded with a dirty smile. Not one second later, a deafening hissing noise filled the room. Goose flesh appeared on my arms and my hair stood on end.

Mr Cullen was showing his teeth and glared at Mr Thurgood in a more than threatening way. He had left his chair, but his posture wasn't upright anymore. He rather resembled an animal preparing for an attack. This frightened me more than anything and I lost the grip on the apple which rolled onto the blanket and fell to the ground.

Well, it would have fallen to the ground, if Alice hadn't reached out as fast as lighting and caught it. Utterly unsettled, I took the apple back from her extended hand.

"Pull yourself together, both of you," she said in warning to the men.

I held my breath. Wasn't she afraid at all? I would never dare to address someone in such a manner, and least of all these two terrifying men.

Surprisingly, though, Mr Cullen straightened up immediately and gave me a quick glance.

"Excuse me, it was not my intention to scare you," he said and turned back around to face Mr Thurgood.

"Go now, we will talk later." His voice didn't allow any protest, which Mr Thurgood seemed to comprehend as much as I did. He turned his back on us and left the room.

What had he meant to say with his statement? I had the feeling that he hadn't been referring to the horrible situation Mr Cullen had rescued me from. There was something else behind his words that had Mr Cullen exploding. Yet another shiver went down my back.

Mr Thurgood's last glance went in my direction. And the way he looked at me didn't improve the bad feeling in my gut. I didn't exactly know why, but I didn't trust him. Not a tiny bit.


	5. Chapter 4

Hey there :)

I'm sorry that it took so long, but I finally have the next chapter for you.

The reason why I didn't upload in a while is that I found a beta reader who went through all the previous chapters and then corrected this one.

So thanks a lot to Too Much Chocolate and also to you guys who wrote a review!

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Chapter 4

Mr Cullen fixed his eyes on me again as soon as the door had closed behind Mr Thurgood. I didn't like the way he continually looked at me, because I wasn't sure why he was doing it. My uncle had hardly acknowledged me more than one short look per day in all the years I had been living with him.

"Will you agree to eat if we leave the room?" Mr Cullen asked and stood up in a fluent movement.

I thought a moment about his question and could see him getting more and more impatient with each second. Then I finally nodded. I would feel better once I was alone.

Alice got off the bed at once. "Enjoy your meal," she chanted and was gone before I could thank her. I liked her, even though I didn't even know her. But I surely trusted her rather than these two men. I also thought that she was very courageous, living under the same roof as them.

"My sister is only visiting for a few days," Mr Cullen said and the sound of his voice made me turn towards him again. In spite of the color of his eyes, there was a concerned expression on his face.

"She has a very quick-witted character. Just tell her if she goes too far. She won't take it amiss."

I brought myself to nod.

"I will be back in half an hour to look after you. Eat as much as you like, there's more downstairs," Mr Cullen encouraged me and showed a half smile that made his red eyes glow. I felt confused for a moment and couldn't bring myself to look away. Was his kindness really just a façade, or was he genuinely concerned?

My eyes followed him when he left the room, and I sighed in relief as I finally had the room to myself. Then I reached for the glass and gulped down the water in no time at all. It felt like heaven.

I wondered where the water came from. He surely couldn't have fetched it from the city fountain. The water from the fountain rather resembled a dark broth, it would never taste as clean and pure as the water I was drinking right now, not even after boiling it several times.

I ate the apple that had been lying in my lap next, and tried not to think of the poisoned apple in the tale of Snow White. I also took part of the bread, a piece of cheese and the egg. My stomach felt so full afterwards that I was a little worried it might burst. It was a wonderful feeling to be satiated again, but I couldn't deny the small surge of nausea that grew in me.

Could I risk getting up? Eventually, my curiosity won, and I put my legs over the edge of the bed. It took me a few moments to regain my balance when I had solid ground under my feet again, but then I managed to stand still.

Everything in this room was incredibly tidy and clean, the floor, the shelves, and there was no plaster coming off of the walls. Mr Cullen had to have a really good housekeeper.

I looked down to take a closer look at myself. The nightgown was a little short for my taste and I guessed that Ms Cullen had lent it to me. I felt a fresh breeze against my back, and noticed with horror that the gown was very low-cut. For a moment, I was very tempted to quickly slip back under the blanket in case someone came into the room.

Just then, I caught my reflection in the mirror with the golden frame and stepped closer, fascinated. I had never seen a mirror as elaborate and beautiful as this one in my life.

My reflection was watching me out of big, brown eyes. My dark hair fell in slight waves over my shoulders, and my skin was very pale. I turned a little, and tried to catch a look at myself from every angle. As I finally saw my back in the mirror, though, I rapidly turned back around.

My features had changed since I had last looked into a milky window pane. They had gotten more contoured and appeared less childlike on my narrow face now.

There were two minuscule red dots on the side of my neck, and the skin around them seemed swollen. I also could definitely see bruises in the form of slender fingers around my throat. He had actually bitten me and . . . drunk my blood.

I took an unsteady breath and leaned against the wall, just to be on the safe side.

Stories about these creatures existed. Stories that no one believed in, yes, but they did exist. Stories about shady creatures roaming about at night, drinking human blood.

Maybe that was the reason for their eyes being red? And also for their beauty? Mr and Ms Cullen shared these characteristics with my aggressors. Sighing, I put a stop to these thoughts. They would drive me crazy otherwise.

With some effort, I managed to instead concentrate on my reflection again.

The light blue nightgown I was wearing made my complexion appear even paler than it actually was, but on the other hand it made me look somewhat elegant. If it hadn't been for my skinny body, I could have been an aristocratic. However, those people were certainly better nourished.

A tiny bit sad, I turned my back to the mirror and went to the broad window on the left side of the room. It began to get dark outside, and I silently admired the pink-tinged sky, while the sun was sinking beneath the horizon. I had obviously slept for a long time.

The houses and mansions I could see from here all belonged to New York's upper classes. I had already traded once or twice with my uncle's customers in this area. Unless my memory deceived me, this place was about a one hour walk from my uncle's apartment though. Last night, the way had seemed a lot shorter, but maybe my senses were playing tricks on me.

Only after several minutes did I manage to take my eyes from the world outside the window.

Now I stepped closer to the huge bookshelf that nearly extended over the whole side of the room. It contained some heavy tomes that were so thick that I was unsure if I would be able to take them out of the shelf. They looked really old too, but nonetheless seemed to be in a well-kept state.

Not many of the book titles rang a bell in my head. It took me a little while to actually decipher the titles, as my reading skills weren't the best. Of course, I had never gone to school, let alone been taught by a private tutor.

The deceased wife of my uncle, however, had taught me the alphabet and how to read, until she had died nine years ago. Although I wasn't especially good at reading, I managed if I had enough time.

My aunt had even given me a small book once. It had been about a little cat that wanted to discover the world but never made it out of its home. When my uncle had burned it some years ago, I had shed bitter tears. I would have loved to read more, but unfortunately there were little opportunities for me to do so.

I had also found some newspaper sheets on the streets a few times while running errands for my uncle, and had hidden them underneath my dress to read them at home. And that was the end of my reading experience.

While standing in front of the bookshelf, I was getting tired and my head began to hurt terribly. The loss of blood apparently took its toll on me.

"You are interested in books?" the melodic voice of Mr Cullen suddenly emerged from behind me.

I spun around quickly since the low-cut back of my gown came to my mind again. He stood a few feet away from me but wasn't coming any nearer, which appeased me tremendously.

I still felt uneasy in my thin gown, though, and realized with horror that I wasn't even wearing a girdle underneath. There was nothing I wanted more than crawling back under the blanket, but Mr Cullen stood in my way.

I quickly shook my head no. I really didn't like the way he was looking at me. It felt like he was trying with all his might to get into my head, and he was probably angry because I wasn't allowed to stroll about and look at his property. I lowered my head.

"No, sir. I am sorry, I can barely read," I answered quietly. The words had simply left my mouth, but he didn't seem to mind much.

"I could teach you if you want," he even offered to my complete surprise.

Confused, I looked up and caught those red gleaming eyes. Why was he being so polite? What was his intention? He was probably making fun of me and I didn't even notice. A joke – it could be nothing else.

Without having answered his question, I steered well clear of him and returned as fast as possible to the bed in order to get under the blanket. I was already feeling a little better.

Mr Cullen followed me slowly and sat back down on his chair.

"Where do you come from, Isabella? Is there anyone missing you? Your family?" he probed while looking discontentedly at the many leftovers of my meal.

"You haven't eaten enough," he stated and passed me the bowl with the berries.

I slid a bit further under the blanket and shook my head again. I knew that I was entering dangerous territory by refusing the food, but my stomach was filled to the top.

Mr Cullen raised one eyebrow on seeing my reaction.

"You are too thin," was all he said. Much to my surprise, he put the bowl back onto the tray.

Why didn't he punish me? His strange behavior frightened me almost more than the prospect of being beaten. I didn't understand why he was acting the way he was. Before he could find a reason to get angry, I hastily answered his question.

"I live with my uncle, but . . . he won't miss me," I said a little louder than before.

"I see," Mr Cullen answered after a while.

I was glad that he didn't ask more questions concerning this topic, because I felt small and inadequate when I spoke of my low birth while in this elegant mansion. Now that I thought of my uncle, I remembered the reason why all of this had happened in the first place. He had sold me. My own uncle had sold me to those filthy bastards, and apparently without batting an eyelid.

I knew that there was no place for me in his heart, that there had never been one. But this was just too much. A bottomless grief welled up inside me and tears built in my eyes. After all, he was everything that was left of my family.

"Don't cry," I heard Mr Cullen say close to my ear. He had leaned forward in his chair and was suddenly far too close. As fast as possible, I moved away from him so that I eventually sat on the other side of the bed.

"Take this," he said and placed a handkerchief on the blanket beside me. It was decorated with beautiful embroidery on the rim, matching the colors of his frock coat. It was almost too beautiful to be used, but just as little did I want to drench the blanket with my tears.

So I took the handkerchief and wiped the tears off my cheeks. The cloth was very soft.

"Are you the master?" I burst out and realized too late that this was the best way to anger him. Stupid. I was provoking him. If he really was the master the three men yesterday had referred to, he had to be even worse than his subordinates.

Mr Cullen watched me for a few seconds and seemed honestly surprised. Then he took a deep breath that made his features crunch up, and breathed out again faster than necessary.

"You smell incredibly good, Isabella," he whispered in a low voice. A fire was burning in his eyes while he was holding my gaze.

Horrified, I recoiled and automatically pressed my hand onto the two red dots on my neck, where the other man had bitten me.

' _Just as good as she smells'_ had been the words of the man who had licked the blood off my wrist. And then he had attacked me.

Mind numbing fear came to life inside of me. He was trying to lull me into a false sense of security, and in the end he was just like them. He, too, was sucking the blood out of humans' veins until they lay cold and lifeless before him. Suddenly, I was certain about this, without being able to tell where this certainty came from.

"Don't get me wrong," he quickly interjected. The captivated expression on his face gave way to worry. "I won't do you any harm, Isabella. I have learned to control myself."

I watched him carefully. Had that been a confession?

"What are you?" I breathed and didn't even think about the possibility of him getting angry at my audacity.

"If I tell you that I'm human, you won't believe it after the incident last night. And it is true, I am no human. I won't tell you more about this matter. However, I am sure that you already have an idea of my true nature. All I'm asking from you is not to fear me."

He sighed. "And to return to your question: no, I am not the master." He sounded enraged speaking these words, making it obvious that it had been a distinctively bad idea to approach him about this topic.

"If you were with him right now, you surely wouldn't be at liberty to do what you want to do."

When speaking his next words, he fixed me with a solemn expression, and I once again flinched upon seeing the color of his eyes.

"Listen, Isabella. What I am going to tell you now is extremely important. This master you are talking about was a close friend of mine for a long time. During the last years, I deliberately distanced myself from him and his . . . lifestyle though. If you do not want to find yourself in danger by running straight into his arms, I would recommend not leaving this house. You need to understand that he has acquired the right to own you from your uncle and that he will not give up easily. His men will be looking for you at every corner of this city."

My heart beat too fast in my chest.

"What lifestyle?" I asked and wondered at once if I had overstepped a boundary by being so brazen. In a normal situation, I would have never dared to ask something alike. My senses still had to be confused by the blood loss. And how did he know about my uncle selling me?

"That is not something I want to talk about," was all Mr Cullen said.

"The men from yesterday . . . they were like you," I said. This wasn't a question but a statement.

Oh lord, had I gone crazy? Maybe he had viewed my behavior leniently until this point, but now I had gone too far.

"No, they were not," Mr Cullen responded harshly. His voice had completely lost its melody and sounded rude.

"I have to admit that we have some things in common. I wouldn't have done that to you though. Not anymore. Keep that in mind," he said and got up so quickly that I could barely see him move.

Not anymore? Had he really said that, or did I imagine things now?

"How did you put them to flight?" I asked. After all, he had been alone. His sister couldn't have played a big role in my rescue.

"We are stronger than they are. They are not . . ." he broke off and looked at me in a disbelieving way.

"That is not your concern. Go back to sleep now, Isabella. The blood loss has weakened you immensely." Having said these words, he closed the curtains again, took the tray from the bedside table and approached the door.

"Wait!" He stopped at once and turned back around to face me.

"Please, I need to use the lavatory," I said, embarrassed.

Mr Cullen seemed confused, but then he nodded. "Of course."

We passed a spacious hallway with many doors on each side. I wondered what lay behind each one of them, but didn't dare ask him about it. I had already asked too much.

At the end of the hallway was a staircase leading down to a small but very decorative entrance hall.

"Alice?" Mr Cullen called out, not speaking any louder than before. To my surprise, his sister appeared next to us only a few seconds later. I didn't have the faintest idea where she had come from this sudden.

"Please, escort Isabella to the facilities," he instructed her. Ms Cullen nodded cheerfully and my face felt very flushed.

However, I was glad of his decision as it would have been highly unpleasant to have him join me on my way to the toilet.

"Goodbye, Isabella," Mr Cullen went on, looking at me. He was looking at me in such an intense way that I suddenly felt like he could see to the bottom of my soul. Then his gaze wavered. "I wish you a pleasant night."

With a lot of effort, I brought myself to nod and watched him disappear through one of the doors.

"Follow me," Ms Cullen smiled, took my hand and literally pulled me with her. Taken by surprise, I stumbled behind her and followed through a side door out of the house. I would have loved to take a closer look at the furnishings, but she didn't give me any time.

Once outside, we were welcomed by a fresh breeze and Ms Cullen showed me the way to the small toilet cubicle. After I had finished, she brought me back to my room and wished me a good night. Then she, too, was gone.

Exhausted, I fell into the cushions and tried to calm down. All of this was so confusing. I had never believed that I led an easy life, but this surpassed everything I had gone through before.

I lay awake for minutes, maybe hours and listened attentively to the occasional sounds from below. I waited for Mr Cullen to come back and attack me, but everything stayed quiet and no one came into the room.

After a little while, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 5

Hellooo!

Here's the next chapter.. thanks for your reviews and I'm happy the story is gaining folowers :)

A huge thank you to Too Much Chocolate for beta reading :) There would be a whole lot of mistakes without your help!

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Chapter 5

The next morning, I was awakened by warm sun rays falling into the room and onto my face. I could smell something really delicious which I couldn't categorize at first, but then I saw the tray on the small table next to my bed. Someone must have put it there and pulled back the curtains without me noticing.

My mouth began to water upon seeing the scrambled eggs and a little basket full of freshly baked bread and honey. I was surprised that I already felt hungry and thirsty again after the extensive meal yesterday. It had to be because of the energy my body needed to replace the lost blood. Normally, I would still feel satiated.

Fascinated, I looked at the ornate fork that was lying next to the plate of scrambled eggs. I was sure that its weight was heavier than normal forks and must have cost a small fortune. I took a few bites of scrambled eggs and put a thick layer of honey onto the bread and ate that too. I drank a glass of fresh milk with it and it all tasted so fantastically good that I honestly forgot where I was at that moment.

Then, however, the door opened and Mr Thurgood stepped into the room. My elation evaporated abruptly.

"Good morning, my beauty," he said and closed the door behind him.

I didn't like him talking to me in such a manner. I was not beautiful, and I found it really disturbing that he apparently thought I was.

"It's time to get up." He smiled at me and stepped closer. "The day has begun and you should seize it."

His gaze dropped lower and I pulled the blanket higher, almost unconsciously.

"There is no reason for you to hide," he resumed. By now, he stood directly next to the bed. I could smell alcohol and tobacco on him and could do nothing but stare at him.

"Leave me alone," I finally whispered, while a repetition of last night was playing through my head. Dear God, no, please! Cold sweat appeared on my forehead and an icy fear swept over me.

Mr Thurgood leaned forward until his mouth was right at my ear.

"You don't need to be afraid of me, girl," he murmured, and his hot and stinky breath touched my face. My whole body went rigid, and I frantically went through the possibilities of escape.

"It is Edward to whom you should keep your distance," he went on.

Before he had even finished his sentence, I jumped out of bed because his dry lips had touched my ear.

"Last time, he had a girl that looked amazingly similar to you. Well, she didn't last very long," he spoke, completely unaffected by my reaction.

"I wonder if he will share you with me a few times too. And in case he doesn't want to, we still have the undisturbed hours while he and his sister have to leave the house for certain reasons."

What did he mean by that?

An enormous rage spread within me. What a repulsive man.

"Where are Mr Cullen and his sister?" I asked in a shaky voice. On the one hand, I wanted to divert him, and on the other, I hoped that both Mr Cullen and his sister weren't too far away. My fear of Mr Thurgood grew more and more by each second ticking by.

"They are on one of their regular trips," Mr Thurgood answered. "Do not worry, child, we have the whole house to ourselves."

No! I could hear the blood roaring through my ears. No, this could not be happening! Frightened, I took a step back. There had to be a way out!

I was highly aware of the fact that I still wore nothing but a thin nightgown. His eyes roamed greedily over all the regions of my body, and he slowly stepped around the bed and came closer.

My legs seemed to become weaker and I had to hold on to the bedpost to prevent myself from falling to the ground. Still, I was swaying alarmingly. Please, dear God, no! I couldn't endure this a second time.

I pressed my back against the wall behind me and leaned against it out of necessity. If I lost my balance now, it would be over. My heart was racing at an unhealthy rate, and my breathing turned short and fast. Please, please no, please no! The only thing I felt was pure desperation.

Mr Thurgood followed, coming closer and closer. A cruel smile formed on his lips.

As he stood directly in front of me, I intended to defend myself. However, my muscles appeared to be frozen in place and I couldn't even move my smallest finger. Paralyzed from shock, I could do nothing but watch him raise his big, calloused hand and caress my cheek.

Blackness crept in front of my eyes and a thousand hands ran over my body, touching and groping me, forcing my mouth open in a silent scream. I closed my eyes and gave up. My legs gave way and I slid down the wall until I sat on the ground.

Just then, my ears perceived a quiet but still very significant noise. The click of a door swinging shut, here in this house. Hope welled up inside me. Maybe it wasn't too late yet. I reopened my eyes.

"Fucking hell," Mr Thurgood muttered, and suddenly bent down to lift me up and throw me onto the bed again. I could do nothing but let him do so. He then put a blanket over me and took a few steps back.

I hastily pulled the blanket up to my neck and tried to disappear.

The door opened only two seconds later and I saw Mr Cullen enter out of the corner of my eye. Relief washed over me, so great that I felt a bit dizzy.

He wore an elegant dark red frock coat today that just like yesterday was not buttoned up. The first buttons of his shirt weren't closed either so I was able to admire the flawless skin of his neck and the beginning of his chest. I looked at his beautiful face, his long lashes and bronze hair. He looked unnaturally perfect.

I couldn't believe it as I caught myself having such indecent thoughts. How could I, so short after Mr Thurgood's almost-abuse, so short after that horrible night, think about a man in such a manner? It was shameful.

Only now did my gaze fall onto the pile of clothes Mr Cullen was carrying. The colorful materials of half a dozen dresses caught my eye, and I was sure they were dresses I wouldn't wear in my boldest dreams. He also held a girdle and a pair of shoes.

"Good morning, Isabella," he greeted me in an incredible soft voice.

I was still in a state of shock and struggled with my thoughts. He had now rescued me twice out of a dreadful situation, even though he had been too late the first time. He was kind and had promised not to do me harm.

But on the other hand, he frightened me. His eyes, his strange words and now also Mr Thurgood's statement. I would think about it later, because I just felt too agitated and exhausted right now.

"Alice bought you these dresses, Isabella. They will surely fit." Mr Cullen laid the clothes onto the small nightstand, next to the tray.

"You can take a bath if you like. You'll find the bathtub behind the first door on the right hand side of the corridor."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. I would never take a bath as long as Mr Thurgood was in this house.

"You look pale," Mr Cullen diagnosed, he pulled the chair next to the headboard of my bed and sat down. "Are you not feeling well?"

His gaze was fixed on me, his beautiful face turned in my direction. Could someone this beautiful be evil?

And were his eyes a shade brighter than yesterday? The dark red that my memory had connected to Mr Cullen had changed into a brighter one. Was that even possible or was it the shock that made me hallucinate?

"Isabella? Did you have bad dreams?" Edward asked and suddenly extended his hand to my face.

I still couldn't react properly, still felt Mr Thurgood's breath on my skin and his hand on my cheek. The shock had turned me to stone. This was why I didn't move as he put his hand on my cheek and caressed it. Only several seconds later did I realize what was happening and held my breath, startled.

His skin was ice cold. Ice cold and hard, but strangely soft at the same time. It felt just like the skin of my three attackers.

What frightened me a lot more, though, was the fact that I felt no fear when he touched me. On the contrary, his touch brought a feeling of security and made my skin tingle.

Knowing that I shouldn't be feeling what I felt right now I finally backed away from his touch, though far too late.

"I am sorry," Mr Cullen said and let his hand fall back into his lap. He looked at me so intensely that I couldn't bear it anymore and turned away. Out of the corner of an eye, I saw him leaning back in his chair again, frowning.

"Did something happen, Jonathan?" Mr Cullen asked and looked questioningly at his friend.

I closed my eyes and slid further under the blanket. I didn't want to hear his lies.

"I brought her food this morning. She was still sleeping then, so I decided to come back later to look after her. She already was in this state when I saw her again. It has to be the shock. Sometimes it occurs only a few days later," said Mr Thurgood.

I gulped. One half of me wanted to scream at him and to tell Mr Cullen the truth, wanted to beg him to protect me from this bastard. But the other half thought that Mr Cullen wouldn't believe me anyways. After all, he was friends with Mr Thurgood, although the reasons for that friendship wouldn't reveal themselves to me. He wouldn't give credence to a confused girl who was apparently in shock.

I myself didn't know what had happened exactly. Had he really just wanted to check on me? Maybe I had misinterpreted the whole thing, still being caught up in the situation with my assault.

I breathed out heavily. No. I hadn't imagined his behavior, my memories were unclouded and Mr Thurgood was a disgusting pig!

To crown it all, I felt nausea growing inside me after having heard that Mr Thurgood hat prepared my food this morning. Somehow, I had assumed that Mr Cullen had brought it to me.

Mr Cullen had remained sitting motionless while Mr Thurgood had told his lie. He also had been watching me the whole time. His gaze made me nervous and I felt a strange warmth creeping up inside me.

"Hmm," he murmured now, fixing me with his sharp gaze.

"May I ask the reason for your early return, my friend?" Mr Thurgood enquired.

I felt like running out of the room and hiding each time he spoke. At the moment, however, I needn't worry too much. Mr Cullen was with me.

"I quickly found what I had searched for. And I didn't want to keep my guest waiting for too long," Mr Cullen answered.

His guest? That didn't sound like I was being held prisoner. Why would he say something like this? The initial relief I had felt upon seeing him vanished rapidly and I remembered Mr Thurgood's words. I needed to think about them.

"Well, she has been able to rejoice in the best company in the minutes of your absence," Mr Thurgood assured, showing a slimy smile.

"I'm sure of that," Mr Cullen responded. "How are you feeling today, Isabella?"

His voice sounded so gentle, so soft. I swallowed. That was just his façade, helping him to make an easy prey out of his victims. He would not get me though, I had seen through him.

"I have a headache," I pronounced, and that was only a part-lie. My head really hurt a little, but not terribly. "Could I be alone for a little while?"

"Of course," Mr Thurgood said and gave me a broad smile. I turned away.

Mr Cullen scrutinized me for some endless seconds, seeming undecided. Then he finally got up, nodding in my direction.

"If you need something, simply call my name. I will hear you," he assured, took the breakfast tray and left the room with Mr Thurgood. I sighed with relief.

For some seconds, I couldn't do anything but stare at the wall opposite me, not sure of what to think.

I definitely had gotten to know the role Mr Thurgood was playing today. And I fervently hoped that Mr Cullen and his sister would not leave me alone with him another time. I was sure that my next encounter with Mr Thurgood wouldn't have a happy end.

The only reasonable decision was to tell Mr Cullen what had happened. But could I assess his character reliably? Could I trust him?


	7. Chapter 6

Hello everyone :)

Thanks to Too Much Chocolate for beta reading this chapter!

A warm an hearty welcome to the new followers, and thanks for the reviews :)

Enjoy reading.

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Chapter 6

I tried to recall Mr Thurgood's words.

He had said I should keep my distance to Mr Cullen. Even I found the arguments for this piece of advice very convincing, since Mr Cullen had admitted that he wasn't human. His skills and demeanor seemed almost supernatural and that frightened me more than a bit.

But there was something else that accelerated my heartbeat. Mr Thurgood had spoken of another time that Mr Cullen had brought home a girl who looked similar to me. And she "hadn't lasted for very long". Those had been his words. When I finally got the meaning behind them, a shudder went through me. What had Mr Cullen done to her? And what had he planned for my own fate?

My head hurt from all this thinking and I put my hands to my forehead to somehow ease the pain.

Mr Thurgood had said another thing which worried me tremendously. He had wondered if Mr Cullen would . . . share me with him. Since Mr Thurgood was obviously human and therefore hopefully didn't lust after my blood, not many ways of interpreting this "sharing" were possible. After realizing this, I needed to close my eyes and take a deep breath.

What had destroyed this girl? And had she really existed or was she in fact just an invention of Mr Thurgood? I could hold on to this second possibility, but I strongly doubted it.

The two small wounds on my neck suddenly ached again, like being touched by a flame. I winced. What if, after all, Mr Cullen was just like my aggressors?

My inability to understand him was what scared me the most.

I wanted to leave this place. I had felt better living with my uncle throughout all these years. At his place, I didn't have a lot of comfort, was treated badly and forced to sell his drugs, but no one wanted to do me harm.

And now there was Mr Thurgood, who surely didn't have anything good in mind, and Mr Cullen, this mysterious, dangerous, angel-like man.

I should go home.

My eyes fixed on the pile of dresses lying untouched on the small table. Every single dress must have cost a fortune. I was sure of that, without having seen them in their full splendor.

I looked down, huffing at the sight of the revealing blue dress. Wearing this dress, I definitely couldn't step onto the street. The fact that it wasn't proper to go outside in a thin nightgown only played a little role in my decision to change clothes. I was terribly afraid of being assaulted another time.

There were five dresses. And I felt like they were all screaming for attention. Mr Cullen had told me that they would be looking for me. If that was true, these colorful gowns would make easy prey of me. I didn't have a choice, though.

So I went for the least pompous out of the five, a dark green velvet dress with a rather wide skirt and a high collar. In contrast to my old flimsy dress this one would keep me warm even in winter.

Before I changed clothes, I quickly went to the door to check if someone was in the hallway. Unfortunately, there was no key in the keyhole to lock myself in, but I hadn't been foolish enough to think there would be.

The hallway lay empty and I could hear muffled voices from downstairs, which I recognized as Mr Cullen's and Mr Thurgood's. Very well, they appeared to be occupied.

Back in my room, I hastily stepped out of the thin gown and into the opulent green one, which took me more time than I had thought. Surprisingly though, the piece of clothing was very comfortable and well fitting. A truly skilled seamstress must have made it.

After having tied the last laces, I put on a pair of black shoes which also fit perfectly. Then I stepped in front of the mirror. Unfortunately, I could only see part of the dress, but what I could see was incredibly beautiful. Thin silvery stitches followed a curved path over the front of the dress. Ms Cullen appeared to have exceedingly good taste.

The dark color of my hair harmonized with the green of my dress, and my skin looked abnormally pale again. Nearly as pale as the skin of my aggressors and that of Mr Cullen and Ms Cullen. I took a deep breath and slowly stepped over the threshold and into the hallway.

It would be more than difficult to find my home, but I was sure that I could succeed. After all, I had already been in this area of the city a few times before.

I crept to the staircase. From up here, I could see the entrance hall lying below me. Everything was quiet and no one seemed to have noticed my attempt to escape.

I cautiously walked down and finally reached the end of the stairs. Only a few feet separated me from the door that would bring me safety. I threw a last glance over my shoulder, just to feel secure. But there was still no one to be seen and it felt like a heavy weight fell from my heart.

When I turned back around though, someone was standing in front of me, who hadn't been there only seconds ago. Mr Cullen. Cold fear froze me to the spot.

"Are you looking for something, Isabella?" he asked. His velvet-like voice sounded dangerously calm and I flinched.

"I . . . I need to visit the lavatory," I quickly responded. I suddenly was sure that he would try to prevent me from leaving the house with all his might if he found out what I had in mind. Consequently, it was unthinkable to tell him the truth.

"Well, the lavatory is much easier to find via the side door," Mr Cullen answered and nodded towards the hallway at my back. "I wonder why you wanted to make a detour via the front door."

"To have a look at your front garden, sir," I lied.

A smile spread on Mr Cullen's face and his eyes gleamed.

"Well, well. If that is the true reason, I will naturally join you and show you the garden."

He leaned down a little and fixed me such an intense stare that I was incapable of averting my eyes.

"This dress looks very good on you, Isabella," he whispered into my ear, which presented me with the opportunity to smell his exquisitely sweet breath. "You should wear it more often."

Suddenly, his hand lay at the side of my neck. Just above my wounded skin. He softly caressed my neck and I forgot how to breathe. My whole body was standing on edge and I stayed glued to the spot, even though I knew that I needed to defend myself. What was he doing to me?

As fast as his hand had touched my neck, it disappeared again. Mr Cullen's eyes lay upon my face for some endless seconds and he watched me intently, as if he was trying to read my mind. My cheeks were burning.

Then he leaned back, clearing his throat.

"Let's go outside," he said roughly and turned around so fast that I could barely see his movements. Something about my behavior seemed to have angered him; I couldn't find another explanation for the sudden change in his voice.

I felt a little afraid about what he held in store for me once outside. In addition to my mixed feelings about Mr Cullen, the sun stood high and there would be a lot of people roaming the streets. I preferred not to be seen.

Mr Cullen opened the door without paying heed to the fact that his frockcoat was still unbuttoned or that he didn't wear anything to cover his head. Even my uncle owned an old and dusty topper which he put on every time he left the house, as it was right and proper.

Mr Cullen, however, didn't seem to care about social conventions. As I stepped through the enormous front door, I found the reason for his not caring. A large hedge was protecting the whole front garden from potentially curious glances of passers-by. I likewise didn't have a chance to steal a glance at the world lying beyond the hedge. There was only one path through the green bushes, but it was blocked by a big iron gate, overgrown with wild ivy.

I honestly found the garden to be a little wild in general. This wasn't the sort of garden I was used to - which didn't mean that I didn't like it, on the contrary.

A sea of colorful flowers were growing next and seemingly on top of each other. Even the wall next to the front door was decorated with dozens of yellow blossoming tendrils, which I didn't know the name of. Moss and grasses had spread between the small stones that built a path through the garden. A garden left to care for itself, a small piece of art.

The sun was already so high that in spite of the hedge, sufficient light fell into the garden. I could smell the sweet scent of the flowers.

"Do you like what you see?" Mr Cullen's voice made my thoughts vanish. He had stayed a little behind, giving me the opportunity to look at his garden in its whole magnificence.

I could barely muster up a nod.

Mr Cullen went past me and my mouth fell open as I saw him. The sun shone hot, sending down rays of light with full force, which apparently broke upon contact with his pale skin and transformed it into a sparkling and shining masterpiece. As if someone had placed a thousand and a thousand more minuscule diamonds beneath its surface. He looked so beautiful that I was incapable of taking my eyes off him.

Only when he regarded me with a knowing smile did I manage to pull myself together and avert my glance. My heart was racing.

"Do you like what you see?" he repeated, this time with a very different meaning behind his words. His melodic voice sounded soft and a little expectant.

I turned my back to him, shocked, and kept my eyes on the flowers. Mr Thurgood had been right, this man was dangerous, very dangerous. I needed to stop looking at him, because in the end he'd think I was interested in him. And then . . . I couldn't bring this thought to an end.

"I would like to use the facilities now," I said, my voice shaking.

"Of course," Mr Cullen responded and I could hear that he was smiling. "Follow me, we can go through the garden."

He went past me again, this time in the other direction, and I could have sworn that his fingers touched my wrist for the briefest of moments. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I had to get out of here as fast as possible.

When I opened my eyes again, Mr Cullen was already standing several feet ahead of me, at the corner of the house. He looked at me, waiting, and I didn't see another way other than following him. I urgently needed to come up with a plan.

After having rounded the corner, the small wooden cabin came into view and I felt my steps getting slower and slower the closer I came. Mr Cullen obviously struggled to adjust to my slow speed.

I eventually halted and fought an inner duel. Could I ask him to leave me alone? Would he see through my plan to escape at once, or would he be understanding?

"Mr Cullen, sir . . ." I began.

"Please, call my Edward," he interrupted. I acted as if I hadn't heard his ridiculous offer.

"Would it be possible for you to leave me alone for a moment? I'm . . ."

"Sure," he cut my words a second time. "Will you find your way back on your own?"

I nodded quickly, trying not to let my relief show.

I watched him until he disappeared inside the house. And even though I told myself that I only did it to ensure my safety, I knew deep down that I also admired him. It was as if my eyes were glued to him and I hated myself for it. I should know better.


	8. Chapter 7

Hi everyone :)  
Thank you for your reviews and thanks to Too Much Chocolate for beta-reading this chapter!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7

I thought about the best way to escape. Eventually, I decided to shortly go inside the lavatory in case he was watching me. Before I stepped inside, my eyes searched the garden to find a way out. A piece of hedge seemed to be missing at the very end of the garden, in the far left corner. Maybe I could escape through the hole. Of course, I could also go through the iron gate, but too many windows overlooked the path and I didn't want to risk getting caught after having come so far. Luckily, the gate stood alone and the garden was not surrounded by a fence.

I quickly went into the cabin and silently counted to ten. Stepping out again, I cautiously looked around, but there was no one to be seen. I was only hoping that Mr Cullen wouldn't suddenly appear in front of me, for that seemed to be his specialty.

Running over the soft and deep green lawn, I felt relief flooding through me. Finally, I reached the hedge. And indeed, a small hole, only about two feet wide, separated two bushes. With a little effort I should make it through, although my dress would probably not remain unstained and in one piece. What a pity, it was really lovely.

I could see part of the street through the gap. Surprisingly, it wasn't as crowded with people as I had thought. But obviously, Mr Cullen lived in a very wealthy area of New York and there was no market and no merchants praising their goods. I wasn't sure if I should be glad, or rather worried about the almost empty streets.

Taking in a deep breath, I pushed through the hedge, and emerged on the other side, struggling to regain my balance. Only when I stood on the street and a huge carriage missed me by a few inches did I notice that I had forgotten something. I wasn't wearing a hat.

I had never worn one before, but people would expect me to wear a hat when seeing me in this extravagant specimen of a dress. I'd certainly attract unwanted attention this way, but that was much better than staying with Mr Cullen and Mr Thurgood. They both frightened me, each in their own way.

While I walked along the seemingly endless street, I kept my eyes stubbornly on the ground. The vast mansions lining the street on both my sides beckoned for me to lift my head, but I didn't dare. The more distance I got between Mr Cullen's mansion and myself, the faster my steps became.

Again and again I had the peculiar feeling of being followed, but I withstood the impulse to turn around and check.

As I passed a corner, I felt so relieved that I almost stumbled. No one would be able to see me, back from Mr Cullen's house. I had actually made it! No one could harm me anymore. I would return to my uncle, and maybe everything would get better in time.

When I at last lifted my gaze, the realization that I had gotten my hopes up too soon dawned on me. I had walked into a dead end and would need to turn back around.

I was feeling very uneasy from one second to the next. Something bad would happen if I turned around now, I just knew it. Feverishly, my eyes searched the high walls rising up in front of me, searched for a gap in between, a saving way out. However, the narrow street appeared to be walled in.

I took a deep breath and slowly turned around. It was probably just my paranoia that haunted me. There was surely no one standing behind me.

But as I looked in the direction I had come from a few seconds ago, I noticed that I wasn't alone at all. As I recognized the person who had placed himself in my way, my legs turned to jelly. It was Mr Cullen.

He didn't do anything, just looked at me, not saying a word. I tried to read the expression on his handsome face, but he seemed utterly emotionless. And even more daunting and dangerous than I had ever seen him. I wasn't as blinded by his presence as I had been earlier, because he had put on his frock coat and a hat, so that not much of his skin showed. He probably didn't want to attract attention.

"Your walk to the lavatory turned out to be a little too freeing," he said, so quietly that I barely understood him.

I could only stare at him, helplessly. What should I do? Would he hurt me now? It was noon, the sun was shining brightly, and I wore a thick dress, but my body began shaking nonetheless.

"Isabella."

He spoke my name so firmly and in such a harsh way that it made me flinch. He stepped closer now, closer and closer. I could have recoiled, but then I would find myself against the wall after a few steps, and that would be even worse.

When Mr Cullen was so close that I could hear his deep breaths, I closed my eyes and tried to prepare myself for what lay ahead. But I couldn't.

"Isabella," he said once more, much softer this time. Still, the sound of his voice made me wince. I kept my eyes pressed together firmly, because his red iris was the last thing I wanted to see.

"You are most certainly not used to being treated well," I heard him say, sounding a little sad somehow, but strained at the same time. I dared to open my eyes and glimpse at him.

He hadn't come any closer, much to my surprise.

"I will neither hit you nor touch you as long as you don't want me to," he went on, not taking his red eyes off me.

"As long as I didn't want him to?" Did he refer to hitting me, touching me, or in the end both? His promise unnerved me. Could I actually trust him? And wasn't he supposed to punish me after I had run off?

I might have opened my eyes again, since I believed him for now, but I didn't dare lift my gaze to look at him.

"Isabella. You are permitted to move about freely – as long as you stay on my grounds." He stepped closer while saying these words.

"Look at me when I speak to you," he ordered now, and I obeyed. If he actually was so benevolent as to spare me, I should be more obedient.

His face was only inches from mine and as soon as I looked into his eyes, an invisible force prevented me from gazing in another direction. The red of his eyes seemed to become liquid, and even though his eyes were narrowed, I felt attracted to them in a weird way.

From one moment to another, I suddenly felt perfectly safe. After all, he had rescued me twice and had never acted other than gentlemanly when speaking to me.

"What are you thinking?" His lips formed the words more than he spoke them out loud.

My gaze drifted over his soft, contoured features, the high cheekbones and his arched lips, which were opened slightly. I could smell his breathtakingly wonderful scent. Then my eyes found the unbuttoned collar of his shirt.

"I . . . I don't know," I answered, only a little louder.

Upon noticing the way I was staring at him, something in his gaze changed. His eyes dilated, got darker, and a hungry expression appeared on his face. I was intimidated by the way he looked at me, but not intimidated enough to avert my gaze.

All of a sudden, he stood directly in front of me. I felt his cold breath against my face and could smell his exquisite scent up close. I closed my eyes – this time not because I was afraid, but for a whole other reason – and breathed in deeply.

Not even a second later, a barely noticeable breath of air caressed my skin, and when I reopened my eyes, Mr Cullen had returned to the spot several feet away from me, and he had closed his eyes as well.

Only now did I realize what had just happened.

He had wrapped me around his little finger with his angel-like appearance and heavenly scent. And I hadn't even realized what he was doing and had enjoyed his closeness instead. It was at this moment that I saw clearly. I would have let him do whatever he wanted to me. I bristled.

But he had taken a few steps back, had spared me. When I looked at him now, it was with pure astonishment. Was it possible that Mr Thurgood's stories about him were in the end nothing but that – stories? Was he truly different than the three monsters that had attacked me?

Mr Cullen cleared his throat and searched for my eyes.

"Well, that was . . . interesting," he murmured with a rough voice, "If I tell you to look at me, do not do it in such a way. For your own safety." He was whispering now. "You're a distinctively beautiful girl, Isabella."

His words colored my cheeks red and I lowered my gaze, embarrassed, until it came to my mind again that he didn't like me not looking at him.

"I am sorry," I croaked.

"You don't need to be," he answered with a smile. "But paired with the incredible smell of your blood . . ."

He didn't finish his sentence, but I could guess the end of it. It was official now. He, too, lusted after my blood, and this knowledge made me feel less afraid than it should have. Frankly, I had known all along. He was a vampire.

"You are my guest, Isabella. But you are not allowed to leave my house and garden. Least of all alone. Do you understand me?" he enquired, watching my every movement, waiting.

I nodded slowly, since there wasn't much else I could do.

"By leaving, you risk your own safety, and I did not take you out of the claws of those pigs for nothing," he resumed and took a step closer.

"We will return to my house now and not speak a word about this matter. Please, take my arm," he ordered and extended his arm toward me.

Of course he noticed my hesitation.

"Don't be afraid. As soon as we cross my doorstep, I will release you. But as long as we are in public areas, it is safer for you if we act like a couple. Those men hunting you are probably looking for a lone girl and surely not for a wealthy aristocrat's wife."

I was sure of the truth of his words, but nonetheless didn't particularly like the thought of walking the streets at his side. It would feel so wrong to pretend to be someone I was not, mainly because we were so different.

But I gathered all that was left of my courage and allowed him to take my arm. He then covered my shaking fingers with his own, long and strong, and turned us around so that we faced the exit of the dead end. I could feel the hard muscles of his lower arm through the material of his sleeve.

For a short moment, I needed to close my eyes. He wouldn't harm me. Touching me was only for keeping up appearances and ensuring my safety. And it didn't have anything at all to do with that horrible night. Also, it was midday now, and there would be witnesses if he tried to get too close to me. I would not be harmed.

I felt us start moving, but could barely concentrate on my steps. Too many thoughts bloomed in my head. There were those of fear and apprehension, and then there were those of admiration and attraction. Admiration for his flawless, cold, and subtly shimmering skin touching my own and attraction to his wonderful scent that I had no chance of escaping from, being this close to him.

I was ashamed for having these thoughts and told myself that the sole reason for my incapability to concentrate was my fear of him. I only made it a few steps with this ridiculous excuse, because it became clear to me that this couldn't possibly be the actual reason. I didn't want to remove my hand from his arm, not in any way. Neither did I want to take flight, but rather let my hand lie there for an eternity.

I felt his heavy gaze on me. Was he smiling? It certainly looked as if the corners of his mouth had lifted a tiny bit. I suddenly wondered if he was able to perceive my galloping pulse. And what other skills he possessed.

Mr Cullen didn't so much as move his hand an inch during the whole way back to his house. Once, however, I thought that he tenderly caressed my skin with his thumb. I really wasn't sure if he had actually done it, because the feeling disappeared as quickly as it came. Hopefully, this wasn't wishful thinking on my part. Was something wrong with me? Hadn't I learned from the past? I tried to get rid of these disturbing thoughts.

We finally reached Mr Cullen's huge gate, stepped through it and into the small garden. As soon as the iron gate had fallen shut behind us, I snatched my arm away from him.

Before he faced me with an unreadable expression on his face, he turned the key in the lock and slipped it into one of his pockets.

"I will commission a gardener to see to the hole in the hedge," he said and made it sound like a warning. His red eyes explored my face. He had seen me disappear through the hole, hadn't he? Knowing this, I thought that he had taken his time capturing me. Considering his unnatural speed, it shouldn't have taken him a mere minute to find me.

"To prevent you from getting ideas." He cocked his head.

I felt the composed expression on my face slipping away. So it was official now. I was his captive.


	9. Chapter 7,5

Hey everyone!

Thanks to TooMuchChocolate who's doing a great job of beta-reading my story :)

And thanks to you guys as well for writing reviews!

* * *

Chapter 7,5 – Edward's POV

I hastened to the window of the top floor as soon as I had crossed the threshold of my house. From this point, I had an unlimited view of the lawn and the small toilet cubicle at the far corner of the garden.

Isabella was standing in front of it now and cautiously let her gaze travel around before she disappeared into the wooden cabin. I had the impression that her gaze had lingered a bit longer than necessary on the hedge that extended behind the cubicle.

A small voice inside my head warned me not to withdraw from the window yet. When I had found her a few minutes ago by the front door, her pulse had been clearly exhilarated. On top of that, her cheeks had burned and she indeed hadn't appeared as if she just wanted to visit the cubicle. Something was definitely on her mind. And I would give my small finger to find out what it was.

About half a minute ticked by, making me more and more impatient, until the door was pushed open again, almost reluctantly. At first, it seemed as if she really only had wanted to relieve herself. After having left the wooden cabin, however, she turned in the direction opposite from the house and hurried toward the hedge that enclosed my garden.

Disappointment flickered inside me. She wanted to flee. What had I done wrong? Was she really more afraid of me than of Aro and his accomplices? Had I gone too far by asking her if she liked what she saw when watching me? Had she misunderstood and thought that I would assault her, and had taken flight because of it?

I shook my head in view of all these silly and insecure questions. Since I had met Isabella, my head was filled with more and more questions each day which I didn't know the answers to. This was something that frustrated me immensely.

While Isabella disappeared through the hole in the hedge, I went downstairs again, closed my coat and grabbed a hat, and then left through the front door. I turned the key in the iron gate and stepped onto the street just as she, too, appeared several dozen feet ahead of me.

A carriage zoomed past her and only missed her by mere inches. I withstood the impulse to immediately run after her and drag her back into the garden. I wanted to know where she wanted to go. After all, it was still possible that she just wanted to buy something at the market. I sighed. No, it wasn't. She didn't have anything to pay with.

Didn't she know at all how foolish it was for her to leave my grounds? Why in the name of God did she behave so imprudently?

Isabella turned her head from side to side, fast for human standards. I took a step back and let the hedge hide my body.

After making sure that the coast was clear, she went in the opposite direction, stubbornly keeping her gaze in front of her. Consequently, I didn't have any difficulties following her because she didn't turn around once. The more distance she got between herself and my house, the faster she got. People started looking at her and I wanted to snarl at them.

Isabella took a turn to the left and slowed her speed a little. I even imagined her breathing a sigh of relief. What she obviously hadn't found out yet was that she had marched directly into a dead end.

I reduced the distance between us and followed her into the narrow street, enclosed from walls on all sides except for the one where I was standing now. After having taken a few steps forward, Isabella halted abruptly. Her head turned right and left as she searched for a way out. Why didn't she just turn around? Had she noticed my presence? She once again blocked my attempts of reading her mind, which upset me enormously.

After some never-ending seconds, she eventually turned around. Upon meeting my gaze, her eyes went wide, and she recoiled. We stared at each other for seconds and I waited for her to say something to defend herself. But she kept silent.

"Your walk to the lavatory turned out to be a little too freeing," I finally said. I tried to sound neutral in order not to frighten her even more, but I didn't quite manage to keep the icy cold from my words.

She only watched me, intimidated and still wide-eyed. Her delicious scent wafted to my nose and I was unable to act against the urge that brought my feet closer to her.

"Isabella." I pronounced her name to elicit a reaction from her, any reaction. Much to my dismay, she flinched again, and I slowed down the steps I was taking toward her. She was so easily startled.

When I had finally come so close to her that we were only separated by an arm's length, she shut her eyes firmly, which would have set the blood in my veins boiling if I still had any. She was so afraid. I could hear her heart beating as loud as thunder, far too fast. Did she think I would punish her for fleeing?

I had to admit that the thought was tempting. However, Isabella was so terribly fragile, that I could almost feel my dead heart constricting upon her sight. I could never harm her, not in a thousand years.

"Isabella," I repeated and took care to speak softly and quietly to appease her. I wanted to let her know that she didn't need to fear me.

She winced again.

Hot wrath swept over me, crushing my attempts at soothing her. Wrath not directed at her, but at the people that were responsible for the way she behaved now. What must she have gone through to be so frightened without being threatened or exposed to immediate danger? And who had treated her so badly?

I was surprised by these unfamiliar feelings, because I obviously was the last person that should be permitted to question the morals of others. I had blood on my hands. And I didn't try to lie to myself. I knew that I would have punished every other girl for escaping. But she was different. And that was the reason why the following words just tumbled out of my mouth.

"You are most certainly not used to being treated well."

I was such a hypocrite. But Isabella opened her eyes and that was the most important thing at the moment. It was very unlike me to question myself anyway.

"I will neither hit you nor touch you in any other way as long as you don't want me to," I declared, and swore to respect these words.

Her brown doe-eyes widened another time and this was probably because of the second part of my sentence. I wasn't sure if it would ever come as far as her allowing me to touch her. I only knew for sure that I craved for it to happen. It was insane.

Even though Isabella had reopened her eyes, she was still staring at the ground and it bugged me that she didn't speak a word. My gaze travelled over her beautiful features, a bit skinny but beautiful nonetheless, like her thick lashes. I lingered for a moment at the side of her neck where I could see her pulse, and finally stopped at her lips. They looked really soft and I suddenly wondered if kissing her would feel different from the kisses I had exchanged with the numerous girls I had gotten intimate with.

A strange, warm feeling swept over me then and I tore my gaze from her lips. I ought to concentrate on the essentials.

"Isabella," I said for the third time, since she still wasn't looking at me. Also, I enjoyed the sound of her name leaving my lips.

"You are permitted to move about freely – as long as you stay on my grounds," I stated more precisely and approached her even more, if only to elicit some reaction from her. Nothing. My patience was really put to the test today.

"Look at me when I speak to you," I demanded and leaned down a little to finally make her react. Then, when she actually did raise her head and look me in the eyes, I almost sighed with relief.

When our gazes met, she held on firmly. And suddenly, I was positive that her fear had diminished. At least a big part of it. Her soft eyes seemed to burn a hole inside of me and I was incapable of moving. What was she doing to me?

Instead of knowing better, I again tried to catch a glimpse at her thoughts. Of course it was a futile attempt.

"What are you thinking?" I murmured and curiously waited for her answer. I simply had to know.

Her eyes shifted slowly over my face and down to my lips, until they stopped at the unbuttoned collar of my shirt. Her breath caught in her throat, while I hadn't dared to breathe for at least a minute now. She was too close.

"I . . . I don't know," she whispered. Her voice was so gentle, so soft.

I wanted to touch her and seal her lips with my own. And then I would take her to my bedroom, free her ivory body from the dress, caress every inch and get lost in her. I could already see her lying beneath me, watching me with a fiery gaze, begging me to finally become one with her.

I forgot all caution and breathed in deeply to capture her delicious scent. Only a few inches separated our faces now.

Her heart beat violently under her dress, and the warm feeling consumed me once again. The smell of her blood controlled every cell of my body and my thirst gained the upper hand. Right now, I wasn't sure which of the two I lusted after more: her body or her blood. What I did know was that the latter would taste heavenly.

Surprisingly, Isabella closed her eyes and likewise took a deep breath. This was my cue to come to my senses and I hastily took a few steps backwards until I stood several feet from her. I tried to concentrate again and forced the pictures of Isabella's naked body to leave my head. I also decided not to breathe again in her presence.

When I raised my head to look at her, Isabella was staring at me in a curious way.

"Well, that was . . ." I searched for a fitting word and realized that my voice sounded rough. I cleared my throat. "Interesting. If I tell you to look at me, do not do it in such a way. For your own safety. You're a distinctively beautiful girl, Isabella," I added to make her understand better and maybe start to contribute a little to her own safety.

Promptly, her cheeks reddened and she lowered her gaze, just to lift it again two and a half seconds later. She seemed to remember that I didn't like her cowering from me.

"I am sorry," she croaked. Had she just apologized for her beauty? I couldn't keep from smiling.

"You don't need to be," I answered. "But paired with the incredible smell of your blood . . ." I left the rest of the sentence unspoken, because I didn't want to intimidate her again.

"You are my guest, Isabella." Then I realized that she might misinterpret my words. I didn't even want to think about what could have happened to her just now.

"But you are not allowed to leave my house and garden. Least of all alone. Do you understand me?" I watched her expectantly, and was glad when she indicated with a shy nod that she agreed. I approached her slowly.

"By leaving, you risk your own safety, and I did not take you out of the claws of those pigs for nothing. We will return to my house now, and not speak a word about this matter. Take my arm," I instructed her and extended my arm.

I persuaded myself that this was a necessary act of precaution so that she didn't draw anyone's attention toward herself, but I equally wanted to feel her small, tender hand on my arm. She only stared at me and didn't move.

I almost couldn't contain a sigh. I really needed to work on my patience.

"Don't be afraid. As soon as we cross my doorstep, I will release you. But as long as we are in public areas, it is safer for you if we act like a couple. Those men hunting you are probably looking for a lone girl and surely not for a wealthy aristocrat's wife."

That finally seemed to persuade her and she hesitantly lifted her arm and laid her shaking hand on my lower arm. Even though my sleeves prevented any skin to skin contact, a tingle went through my body, which nearly made me shrink back. No girl before had evoked such powerful reactions in me. Not one. Her hand was still shaking and I couldn't help but wonder what the true reason for her nervousness was.

Curious and tense at the same time, I cautiously put my free hand over her slender fingers and forced them to lie motionless. Her skin was so incredibly soft that I could have spent the whole day admiring it. Isabella's heart was pounding wildly in her breast and I was certain that mine would have struck a similar beat if it would still be able to do so.

We returned to my house, and my gaze darted to Isabella every now and then. She stubbornly kept her eyes on the ground in front of her, as if she had to intently concentrate on her steps. A smile found its way to my face, and I couldn't deny that I liked it very much that she reacted so strongly to my closeness.

After about half of the way, Isabella pressed her hand closer to my arm, and this small gesture of trust reawakened the unfamiliar feeling inside of me. Gently, I let my thumb circle over her hand and enjoyed the sensation very much.

I had to walk very slowly to give her a chance to keep up with me, but for the first time in my life, it didn't feel like wasting time.


	10. Chapter 8

Hi there :)

I'm really sorry that it took me so long to finish this chapter. I'm currently studying in France and need to cut back a little on my writing-time.

Thanks for your lovely reviews, I love reading them!

And thanks a lot to Too Much Chocolate for editing this chapter :)

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Chapter 8

I was his captive.

"No, you are not," Mr Cullen said sharply.

I flinched and looked at him disbelievingly. He returned my gaze with the same disbelief.

Not a second later, I found myself pressed against the wall and his eyes only inches from mine, suddenly looking very threatening.

My whole body was shaking, and I drew a short breath. He had read my mind. That couldn't be true! He might possess a stack of supernatural skills, but reading my thoughts was just too much. It simply wasn't possible!

"How exactly did you do that?" Mr Cullen hissed, his red eyes narrowed into slits. His intense and marvelous scent forced me to hold my breath. He wouldn't wrap me around his little finger again. But the longer he stood before me, glowering and growling at me, the more scared I became.

"I didn't . . . I didn't do anything," I tried to defend myself with a nearly non-existent voice. From one moment to another, I started swaying alarmingly and was suddenly very glad I had the wall at my back to support me.

"Continue to breathe, Isabella," Mr Cullen murmured and shook me hard enough that his fingers would leave bruises on my upper arms. Obediently, I gasped for breath. Holding my breath hadn't been the best of ideas.

Mr Cullen stared at me for a long while, during which I struggled to draw in air without breathing in his smell.

"Now I can't anymore . . . why are you able to hide your thoughts from me, Isabella?" he growled.

His fingers still lay on my arms and his firm grip began to hurt me.

"I don't know what you mean," I croaked, and whimpered because the pressure of his fingers became almost unbearable. Only then did he loosen his grip a little.

"I can't read your thoughts," he repeated and his voice sounded challenging. His red eyes flashed with anger.

"But just a moment ago . . . you knew what I thought," I responded carefully.

By now, I was a little more than confused. Mr Cullen was intimidating, that was as clear as day. And either I had gone mad, or he was actually telling the truth. I was indecisive about which of the two possibilities shocked me more.

"That was an exception. I tried everything in my power during the last two days to read your mind, but I somehow couldn't get _through_. Something inside of you keeps me out," he snarled and judging by the expression in his eyes, a new wave of anger washed over him. I winced.

He could truly read minds? Well, at least that explained why he had watched me in such an intense way all the time. He had attempted to _get through_ , putting it how he'd phrased it.

"Sir, I assure you that I don't know why . . ."

My voice broke because I couldn't bear his smoldering gaze anymore. I closed my eyes, and a lonely tear rolled down my cheek. A second later, he swiped it off with his thumb. His touch made me shiver.

I stayed in this position, leaning against the wall, my eyes closed, for several minutes.

When I dared to reopen my eyes, I was alone. Mr Cullen was gone. Nonetheless, I gazed in all directions until I was absolutely sure he didn't linger anywhere nearby.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped toward the front door. I knew it would be futile to start a new escape attempt. He wouldn't fail to notice, and I fervently wanted to avoid another encounter with him.

My hand was still shaking as I turned the doorknob and entered. The entrance hall lay silent and peaceful before me. As fast and quiet as possible, I went up the staircase and disappeared into my room.

Lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling, I tried to arrange my thoughts.

Even though I had known it before, it was now absolutely indisputable that Mr Cullen wasn't human. He could _read minds,_ and that was just . . . I couldn't even come up with an appropriate term, that's how horrified I was.

His intimidating demeanor and those rapid movements scared me as well. Shortly, my thoughts drifted back to when he had suddenly pressed me against the wall. I hadn't even been able to see him move.

Alright . . . I was under the same roof as two . . . vampires and a dreadful man. Ms Cullen was the only one out of the three I didn't fear. Probably because she was a woman.

By now, it was clear as day to me that my aggressors as well as the two Cullens were vampires. Those men had tasted my blood and Mr Cullen had dropped these eerie hints. Only Ms Cullen hadn't revealed her true nature yet, but judging by her eye color, she had to be a vampire. And I also remembered her catching the apple that had fallen off my bed, fast as lightning.

What had I been drawn into? And what was Mr Cullen's purpose in keeping me here? I couldn't imagine that he only did it to help me.

But mainly, I had to think of his last words. How did this mind reading work? He had claimed that he hadn't been able to read my thoughts until now. So why had he managed to do it today?

A dull pain pounded in my head and I downed the glass of water sitting on my nightstand.

Suddenly very exhausted, I laid back into the pillow and at once felt a severe fatigue taking possession of my body. My eyes fell shut as if out of my control, and I fell asleep.

My head was aching even more when I woke up the next morning.

It took a moment for me to remember yesterday's events. Or had it only been a really confusing dream in the end? And why wasn't I wearing the green dress anymore? I couldn't remember changing into the silky white dress I was wearing now. I had just . . . dozed off, in the middle of the day. And I distantly recalled the sudden fatigue that had seized me after I had drunk from the glass.

I turned around, my head feeling as if it would burst any second. I moaned.

"I told you it was too much," I heard Ms Cullen's soft voice.

Shocked, I turned back around and saw her standing next to my bed, together with Mr Cullen and Mr Thurgood. As fast as I could, I pulled the blanket up to my chin and couldn't stop myself from staring at Mr Cullen. I probably looked like a rabbit, paralyzed by the presence of a snake.

Why were they all standing around my bed? Had Mr Cullen told them about my futile attempt of escape? What did Ms Cullen mean? What had been too much?

"My brother mixed a sedative into the glass of water on your nightstand," Ms Cullen told me with a small smile. Was she capable of reading minds as well? I lowered my gaze and hoped they would leave quickly. I hated feeling their eyes on me.

"I didn't want her to worry all day," Mr Cullen explained in his velvet voice, which sounded a bit strained.

"Well, she has slept a whole day, you were successful," Ms Cullen responded dryly, reprimanding him a bit.

"It appears that you overdid the dosage," Mr Thurgood said. "The girl seems to be in pain."

I pulled myself together and refrained from giving him a hateful glance. Upon hearing his raspy voice, which sounded so crude in comparison to Mr Cullen's, my headache worsened.

"I am sorry," Mr Cullen said and definitely made a rueful expression. He turned to my nightstand and then extended a glass in my direction, filled with crystal clear water.

"It's clean, no sedative whatsoever," he promised and held my gaze, waiting for me to take the glass.

My throat actually felt very dry, that was why I carefully sat up. However, I didn't dare to take the glass from him. He had been so infuriated.

"I want to apologize for my behavior, Isabella," he said gently, still holding the glass before me.

His eyes shone with true regret and I gazed at Ms Cullen. I wondered whether she had made him apologize to me. But she couldn't have done that, could she? Mr Cullen didn't appear like a man that took advice from his sister.

Very, very slowly, I took the glass with shaking fingers. A little water went over the rim and dropped onto the blanket. Mr Cullen's lips formed a thin line.

"It was wrong to blame you for my incapacity. I must have frightened you immensely and I hope you can forgive me," he expressed and watched me raise the glass to my lips and swallow the cool liquid.

I didn't return his gaze and stared at the wall opposite me.

"She should consider herself lucky that you let her live here, my friend," Mr Thurgood said and gave me an appraising look. A shiver ran down my spine. _Let her live here_? I was his captive. Nothing more and nothing less. And I still didn't understand Mr Cullen's motives.

He shushed Mr Thurgood. The latter put on a mildly annoyed expression, but lowered his head obediently. The question of what had brought Mr Cullen to share his house with this terrible man rose anew in my head.

Ms Cullen cleared her throat.

"I need to break off my stay here, Isabella. I will return home in about an hour," she declared and sat down on the bed next to me, a merry smile on her face.

When she gripped my hand and enclosed it with both of hers, I recoiled a little, but let her hold it. Her skin was just as cold, silken and marble-like as her brother's.

"I miss my husband," she explained and winked at me.

I tried hard to smile at her, but failed as the full meaning of her words hit me. She would go and leave me alone with these men. I could feel my eyes watering and blinked a few times.


	11. Chapter 9

Hi!

I finished the next chapter, so here you go :)

Thanks to Too Much Chocolate for beta-reading!

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Chapter 9

I didn't know what to do. True, I hadn't seen Ms Cullen, ah . . . Mrs Cullen all too often during the previous days, but I had found security in the knowledge that she was around. And now she wanted to leave me defenselessly behind?

I fought against the distress inside me. I couldn't possibly ask her to stay. I wasn't entitled to make demands. Still, for a moment I wished that she was able to read my mind and recognize my fear. Of course, this wasn't the case, so she just kept smiling and patted my hand a bit too hard.

Then she turned to look at her brother and Mr Thurgood.

"Please, leave us alone for a moment. You know what happens to eavesdroppers."

Her last words seemed to be directed at Mr Cullen who nodded at her, leniently smiling.

A few seconds later, they had both left.

I was unable to help myself and looked at her in admiration. Where did she get that courage from? She was so fragile and petite, and still talked to her brother and his dubious friend as if she was in a superior position.

"You are very courageous, madam," I said quietly.

The corners of her mouth twitched.

"I do not particularly care for any role that society intends for me to step into. We women need to be strong," she responded, still smiling.

"But your brother . . . and Mr Thurgood. Do they not care?" I asked a little stunned.

I couldn't imagine that someone like Mr Cullen put up with a woman that spoke to him in such a way. On the other hand, I had just seen him do it. He hadn't looked especially annoyed.

Mrs Cullen made a dismissive gesture that I truly hadn't expected from a lady in her position. She was just as unconventional as her brother.

"I commanded respect in Jonathan's case," she answered. Suddenly, I wasn't sure anymore if she was as defenseless as she let on. After all, she wasn't human, I reminded myself.

"And Edward had enough time to get used to me. Also he has learned throughout the years that family bonds are much more important than the social positions of men and women."

I took a closer look at Mrs Cullen. She didn't appear much older than me. Her words, however, had a certain ring to them that made them sound as if she and her brother had already dwelled on this planet for a long time.

"I beseech you not to ask for the secret of my ever-lasting youth – I'm tired of this question. And I'm sure you already have a vague idea what my brother and I are." She said this with such ease that I didn't know how to react.

"How old are you, madam?" I asked, even though I didn't want to hear the answer.

Mrs Cullen sighed.

"Leave the "madam". I feel very old when you call me that, Bella. Oh, I am, don't get me wrong, but no one likes to be reminded of his or her age, don't you agree?"

I was a little taken by surprise by her request and that she had given me a nickname, I could only nod.

"I don't like to speak for my brother, so I will only tell you my age. Edward will certainly tell you himself when he's ready," she continued.

Then she paused for a moment and seemed to listen for something. She shook her head in disapproval.

"My brother didn't pay heed to my request not to listen. He doesn't miss one of our words. But he seems to agree with my decision not to tell you. Well . . . where were we?"

I wondered what she had just heard. Had Mr Cullen said something? I hadn't heard the faintest noise. Maybe it had to do with his mind reading.

"Alright, I was born in 1523, was turned shorty after I had turned nineteen, and will celebrate my two hundred and twenty fifth birthday this year."

There, she had said it. Turned. There were no excuses left. She was a vampire. And almost two hundred and twenty five years old.

"That probably sounds a little frightening to you, but I won't touch a hair on your head. Although you do smell spectacular," she smiled. To my horror, she then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, an expression of pure relish on her face.

I turned to stone. At the same time, there was a muted snarl somewhere in the house, which made Mrs Cullen roll her eyes. She actually rolled her eyes!

"Calm down, I'm only kidding," she _reassured_ , her voice no louder than before. Besides us there was no one in this room, but she had to have talked to Mr Cullen, since I couldn't imagine that she'd address me in such a tone.

"Sorry, Bella," Mrs Cullen sighed and let go of my hand.

Somewhat relieved, I put it back into my lap.

"My brother thinks that my behavior is not appropriate," she grinned. "He threatens to throw me out of the house at once, if I don't behave."

I didn't know how to respond, so I stayed quiet.

Then she resumed, "Anyways, what I wanted to tell you is the following: as long as Edward keeps an eye on you, you needn't be afraid. I know he can be sort of intimidating from time to time, he doesn't have a lot of patience and is certainly hot-tempered."

Another snarl reverberated through the house, but Mrs Cullen only smiled.

"The point is that he is a good . . . man, if you want to call him that. He won't harm you, please trust me in this. And in his presence, you will also be safe from the men searching for you," she assured me.

As I evidently didn't appear very convinced at all – though she had my full approval regarding the intimidating part – Mrs Cullen went on, patiently.

"There might have been times when I wouldn't have left you in his care, but these times have long since gone. I see the look on his face when he regards you, and I . . ."

Mr Cullen must have been displeased by her words again because Mrs Cullen gave an impish grin.

"Only one last thing: Even though Jonathan may appear harmless to you in comparison to my brother, he certainly is not. It's him you should look out for. I do not tell you this to frighten you, but because you need to be careful," she explained, suddenly very serious.

With a dry throat, I nodded. Maybe I should tell her about yesterday morning. Just then, the door swung open so fast that the handle crashed against the wall.

In the doorway stood Mr Cullen, obviously wanting to kill his sister with just his eyes.

"Alice, the carriage is waiting outside," was all he said as he stepped into the room.

Mrs Cullen jumped off the bed and, to my surprise, threw herself into Mr Cullen's arms. He seemed as surprised as I was, but returned her hug.

They looked each other in the eye for a long moment and I imagined to see them exchanging some words. But they spoke so quietly and fast that I could only perceive a soft murmuring.

Mrs Cullen patted her brother's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. He held his head cast down. Was she comforting him? But why would he be sad? Because she was leaving? Then, his gaze met mine and I got the vague feeling that his sudden insecurity had nothing to do with his sister's leaving. Was he afraid to have me in his house? But that didn't make sense. After all, he had been the one ordering me to stay.

Before I could think about this paradox any longer, Mrs Cullen stepped back from her brother. Not one second later I found myself in her cold arms. Shocked, I held my breath. My eyes drifted to Mr Cullen, who just gave me an apologetic look and shrugged his shoulders.

A little smile found its way onto my face as Mrs Cullen stroked my back. Vampire or not, I liked her. Especially for her impetuous and carefree behavior.

"Oh, the miss can smile," I heard Mr Thurgood's voice from behind Mr Cullen. At once, my smile disappeared.

Mrs Cullen, who seemed to have noticed the change of atmosphere, let go of me, and turned around to face Mr Thurgood.

"Of course she can. Only you won't see it a lot, Jonathan," she smiled sweetly. "With you around, I often feel as if the corners of my mouth are pulled to the ground. Isn't it true, Bella?"

She winked at me conspiratorially. And I would have probably smiled along with her, if she hadn't just offended Mr Thurgood. The color of his face turned an unhealthy shade of bright red. He didn't say anything, though.

Mr Cullen gave her a scolding gaze.

"I do not want you to speak to my friends in such a way, Alice," he said severely. But it looked as if the corners of his mouth were twitching. He didn't appear to be truly angry with Mrs Cullen.

The latter pulled a face and almost flew out of the door. In a flash, the front door boomed shut and Mrs Cullen was gone.

"You should really keep a tighter leash on your sister," Mr Thurgood approached Mr Cullen, who just sighed.

"You know as well as I do that that's impossible, my friend," Edward answered. "Please leave the room for another few minutes, Jonathan. I want to speak to Isabella privately."

Mr Thurgood murmured something – he likely complained about being sent out all the time – but followed Mr Cullen's order.


	12. Chapter 10

Heey,

I finally have the next chapter for you, so sorry it took me so long!

Thanks a lot once again to Too Much Chocolate for editing, you're the best :)

Enjoy!

* * *

An unpleasant silence fell over the room as soon as Mr Thurgood had closed the door behind him.

This time, Mr Cullen remained standing, but came a little closer.

"I know that I lost control and frightened you, Isabella. That is unforgivable," he began. I noticed the cautious tone of his voice.

"And that is why I want to at least try to explain my behavior to you. Perhaps you'll understand a little then."

Since he looked at me as if waiting for an answer, I nodded. However, I avoided his gaze because I felt like I wouldn't be able to turn away if our eyes locked. I couldn't deny that his appearance attracted me.

"Since I . . . was turned, I have been able to read the minds of the people around me. I can hear their voices inside my head. This can be very handy at times, should I find myself searching for information, for example. It does, however, require an immense effort and increases my thirst, so I try not to do it too often."

It increased his thirst for . . . blood. I hesitated. That was how he knew my uncle had sold me. He had extracted that information from the minds of those disgusting creatures.

"Is your sister able to read minds too?" I asked.

Mr Cullen seemed astonished. He probably hadn't thought to hear me utter one word today. And I hadn't, either. But now a slow smile spread on his face. I had committed the mistake of giving in to the desire to look at him.

Someone should definitely chisel his face in stone, I thought. And if his statue was placed in front of a Roman temple, people would believe him the most beautiful god mankind had ever seen.

"No, she is not. Not every one of us possesses a special ability. That being said, she indeed has a very good instinct for the feelings of others. But it's not the abilities of my sister I want to discuss."

He held my gaze, still smiling. I groaned on the inside. Instead of keeping my distance from him, I didn't even manage to avert my gaze.

"It's different with you. When we found you that night, I thought it was due to your exhaustion that I couldn't read your mind. But nothing changed the day after or yesterday. This upset me and still does, because this is the first time that I cannot read a person's mind. And I was in disbelief that a helpless little girl – excuse me – deprived me of my abilities."

He paused again, and I seized the chance to take my eyes off his well-formed lips and blush, because he had probably noticed my glance. If so, he didn't let it show, though.

"And yesterday I was caught unawares as I could finally hear your voice in my head. Up until this point, I had thought that there had to be some kind of . . . mistake with your thoughts, but then it came to my mind that you might be making a fool of me. That's the reason for my extreme reaction, Isabella. The most confusing thing is that I didn't even need to try and read your mind, your thoughts just came to me. I heard them clearly in my head."

I stared at him, unbelieving. "But . . .", I began and then stopped, because I didn't know what else to say.

It was probably wiser not to question him about this topic anymore, since it seemed to irritate him immensely. And even though Mrs Cullen had just assured me that I could trust her brother, I couldn't forget the expression of wild rage on his face.

Mr Cullen gave me a pleading look.

"Please, go on. I don't want you to be afraid of me."

His last words sounded almost a little sad, the first ones all the more demanding. So I did what he wanted.

"I was only wondering why you were suddenly able to read my mind," I explained quietly and tried in vain to hold his smoldering gaze without losing myself completely in his red eyes.

Mr Cullen sighed.

"That is the one question that has occupied my mind since yesterday. Were you outraged when you thought you were my _captive_?"

He practically spat out the word "captive". Now, he stepped closer to my bed to stop a few inches from the edge. Was he even breathing?

My thoughts fought a duel inside my head. Of course, I had been outraged. But dared I tell him? Was he setting a trap for me to stumble into, or did he really only want to find out the reason for my outrage? I looked at him with uncertainty.

"Excuse me; I suppose that was an unnecessary question. Of course, you were outraged and probably still are. I have developed a theory. It could be that you are surrounded by some kind of protective wall which normally protects you from my mind reading abilities. However, in moments of rage or strong emotion this protective wall crumbles and I am able to catch a glimpse."

He watched me expectantly, as if he wanted my opinion on this assumption. To be sure that this was really what he wanted me to do, I waited several seconds during which he became more and more impatient. Then I spoke.

"That sounds very logical, sir." My voice was far too high, even to my ears.

"I did think about it for some time," Mr Cullen responded. Suddenly, he was again sitting next to me in the chair, which hadn't been that close to my bed before. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining things. He must have moved unnaturally fast, just like the man who had suddenly appeared in front of me again in that horrible night . . .

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Mr Cullen murmured and extended his hand in my direction, apparently lost in thought. His eyes held mine captive and in this moment, I didn't even feel disturbed by their strange color.

I couldn't act against it; my pulse was suddenly accelerated and I couldn't do anything but stare at his hand coming closer to my face with each second. I already imagined feeling his soft touch on my cheek which sent little shocks through my whole body, but then he seemed to reconsider and put his hand back in his lap.

"You do not make it easy for me," he whispered. "But I won't break my promise."

I looked at him, wide-eyed. What promise? I lowered my gaze onto the blanket to make more sense of my thoughts.

"I promised not to touch you for as long as you don't want me to," Mr Cullen helped me remember. Then he smiled again in this incredible captivating way that made me tingle.

I gulped and felt my cheeks turn red. The irrevocable truth was that I wanted him to touch me. I longed for his touch. This realization frightened me so much that I had to resist the urge to seek cover under my blanket. Feeling this way was absolutely wrong.

To my great relief, Mr Cullen changed the topic.

"I want you to know that you are not my captive," he said with a sigh. "It's only that I don't want you to wander about the streets all alone. If you want to leave for a few hours, I will accompany you. I was planning on taking you to the market anyway. You can choose what food you'd like to buy."

This promise, so close to a threat, made me look at him again.

"Why . . . why are you keeping me here and are still so kind?" I blurted out. I couldn't even begin to understand his ambiguous behavior.

Mr Cullen's gaze was penetrating. His ability to change expressions in the blink of an eye was uncanny.

"I wish you'd consider it as something different than keeping or detaining you. I want to help you," he said plainly.

"You don't even know me!" I shouted. Immediately, I wished I hadn't opened my mouth at all. My voice had been much too loud and reproachful.

Nonetheless, I found that my interjection was justified for once. What right had he to hold me in his house? And more importantly: why did he do it? In the beginning, when I had still been thinking that his intentions resembled those of my aggressors, the reason had been obvious to me.

However, he didn't seem to have it in his mind to violate me. Apparently, he didn't have any reason to keep me here, and that made me suspicious.

"No, I don't," Mr Cullen responded calmly. I was surprised by the fact that he simply agreed and didn't reprimand me. Was it the demeanor of his sister that had made him that tolerant?

"This however, doesn't change the fact that I would like to get to know you."

His eyes seemed to burn holes into my own, and I forgot to breathe. He couldn't be serious! He, a filthy rich, beautiful man, wanted to get to know me, a poor drug runner of the lower class? I had to have misunderstood him. But I didn't dare ask.

"You're strangely composed in the face of my sister's revelations," Mr Cullen stated after having regarded me closely for a while.

I needed some time to remember my conversation with Mrs Cullen. His closeness confused my thoughts and I didn't know what to do about it.

"It wasn't that much of a shock for me, to be honest," I answered. "I suspected it."

Actually, I had been certain.

Mr Cullen nodded slowly. "Not all humans react so calmly when told what you just were. In fact, most start screaming and run off."

He looked at me in a way that made it clear that he was waiting for me to do the same.

"I'm not afraid," I claimed, and was astounded to notice that this was the truth.

There were only a few inches between us, and he was indeed a red-eyed vampire that potentially lusted after my blood. But I felt strangely safe and sound in his presence.

"I know," Mr Cullen sighed. Suddenly, he was standing.

"I still need to get some things done, Isabella. If you're in need of whatever, just tell me."

He pointed at his ear.

"All my senses are much better developed than those of humans. Consequently, you have only to say my name and I will be there," he promised and gave me a crooked smile.

As much as I felt ashamed for doing so, I gaped at him as if he was an attraction. He was breathtakingly beautiful. The worst part was, however, that he didn't scold me for looking at him – on the contrary. He let his gaze wander over my face, until he finally stopped at my lips. It felt like an insufficient amount of air found its way into my lungs and I knew that my face had just turned a deep shade of red. Feeling humiliated, I closed my eyes.

When I reopened them, Mr Cullen was gone.

My head pounding, I let myself sink deeper into the cushions and lay still for a few minutes to calm my raging heartbeat. He had probably noticed that too. What was he doing to me?

Every time he looked at me, my heart seemed to try to escape my ribcage and his mere presence made breathing difficult. I didn't know what to think of that.

A long time ago, as a little girl, I had often imagined situations like this. How one day I would meet someone, a suitor who evoked these reactions in me. But Mr Cullen was just too handsome to be real and to top it all he was a vampire. Why in God's name did he even show interest in me? I couldn't find the slightest explanation.

Also, I recalled Mr Thurgood's words. Who exactly was this other girl? Could I simply ask Mr Cullen about her?

Just then, my stomach growled. I hadn't eaten a thing since yesterday morning and my body had noticed. I was surprised by the fact that no one had thought to bring me something to eat. Was this a punishment for my escape attempt? But then Mr Cullen wouldn't have been that kind to me just now, would he?


	13. Chapter 11

Hey everybody :)

I sincerely apologize that I only upload this now, I've been kind of busy and just forgot about it :(

However, I have more time now and promise that you won't have to wait another four months for the next update (I can't belive it, where has the time gone?! :o)!

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter (even though you probably forgot all of what has happened until now, sorry once again) and forgive me for my tardiness..

Thank you to Too Much Chocolate who's beta reading my chapters no matter how long it takes me to finish them!

* * *

After some time, my hunger became too much.

I folded the blanket back and got out of bed. I then put on a dressing gown I discovered hanging over the back of the chair Mr Cullen had sat on just minutes ago. Of course, I would've preferred to get changed, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any dresses in the room. Neither did I find shoes. Apparently, they assumed Iwould stay in my room.

Mr Cullen had said I could call him if I needed anything. Why, however, would he be that attentive? He obviously got pleasure in leading me to believe that he cared about my well-being.

Barefooted, I left the room and sneaked across the corridor, barely making any noise. Having arrived at the foot of the stairs, I wrapped the dressing gown tighter around my body and listened carefully.

The soft sounds of a piano reached my ears, as well as two low voices. If there was a salon somewhere – which had to be the case – Mr Cullen and Mr Thurgood were talking in there while one of them was playing the piano.

Curious, I followed the sound of the instrument. It sounded beautiful. Almost as if it wasn't from this world. The sounds merged magnificently together and I couldn't even imagine the speed with which the person playing had to move their fingers to create such a symphony. I didn't think Mr Thurgood was capable of playing like this.

I stopped in front of a French door standing ajar.

". . . really need to consider this," I heard the end of Mr Thurgood's sentence.

This seemed to be a conversation which was supposed to be private. So I kept absolutely still and tried to breathe as silently as possible. After all, I knew that Mr Cullen could hear the smallest noise. I was lucky that he was still playing the piano.

"I'm not sure about this, my friend," Mr Cullen responded in his velvet voice. "Why then did my sister and I rescue her in the first place?"

My breath caught in my throat upon hearing these words. They were talking about me. And I had the feeling they weren't discussing anything I'd like to hear.

"Your sister seems to have a bad influence on you, Edward," Mr Thurgood answered. I flinched as a few false sounds emerged from the piano.

"What do you mean by that?" Mr Cullen probed. I prayed that he kept playing.

"Well, you seem to grow soft. One year ago, you wouldn't have hesitated a second."

"That may well be, Jonathan. However, I decided not to live like that anymore. Which is why I will not support this way of living in others either. In case you have any expectations of how I should deal with Isabella, I ask you to dismiss them promptly," Mr Cullen said.

"But . . . Aro won't rest until he has her with him. You know how unrelenting he is," Mr Thurgood threw in. I noticed that his voice sounded almost pleading.

The floor seemed to slip away under my feet. Cautiously, I took a step sideways and leaned against the wall.

"I would also like to remind you that your sister is gone now. This is a convenient moment," Mr Thurgood proceeded.

A convenient moment for doing what exactly? What did they plan to do to me?

"I will not hand Isabella over to Aro. And neither will you. Are we clear on this?" Mr Cullen asked in a restrained tone.

"You can't be serious!" Mr Thurgood spat out. His voice had gotten louder and I heard footsteps. Was he staying in the room or walking in my direction? I pressed closer to the wall.

"We would even get a tidy little sum in exchange. Her obsequious nature is exactly what he is looking for. He didn't buy her from her uncle for nothing," Mr Thurgood said.

I gasped for air. So Aro was this master Mr Cullen had mentioned? And Mr Thurgood wanted to sell me off to him? I was choked with fear.

The piano abruptly went silent. I kept completely quiet and even stopped breathing for some seconds.

"If you're after the money, I will give it to you," Mr Cullen answered coolly. "I know about your fear of punishment. But as long as you stay with me, you have no reason to worry about Aro."

"Not even you could take on all his followers, Edward," Mr Thurgood said quietly.

Mr Cullen sighed.

"Give me some time to think about this. Right now, she is too scared . . ."

"Well, that's what this is all about," Mr Thurgood interrupted him. "Aro wouldn't want her to . . ."

He didn't get much further, as there was a deep growl that echoed through the whole house. The wall at my back trembled. He was emitting those horrible noises again that resembled a wild animal's.

"Enough. Go now," Mr Cullen murmured.

As fast as I could, I put some distance between myself and the salon. When I reached the top of the staircase, I heard Mr Thurgood's heavy steps in the corridor. Finally shutting the door of my room behind me, I dropped the dressing gown onto the chair and crept back under the blanket.

I stayed motionless for several minutes until I was sure that neither of them had heard me. I felt absolutely miserable and not only because of the lack of food. Mr Thurgood wanted to sell me off to Aro, the master. My innards clenched just by thinking about it. I wanted to scream.

Mr Cullen wouldn't let that happen, would he? He hadn't agreed with Mr Thurgood, but after all he _had_ said that he would think about it. A shiver moved down my back. What if he actually decided to share Mr Thurgood's point of view? Feeling restless, I turned around on my other side and pulled the blanket higher.

Suddenly, I heard someone open my door and I quickly shut my eyes. Since I lay with my back to the door, I would just pretend to be sleeping. And I really hoped that it wasn't Mr Thurgood who now stood in the doorframe.

I waited for the person to speak, but they didn't. That was one of the reasons I knew that it was Mr Cullen and not his nasty friend. I could even smell a soft note of his compelling scent.

I was not expecting him to touch me though, which is why I felt like my heart would jump out of my chest as I felt his cold hand on my cheek. A chill crept over my skin. I tried to breathe in a slow, controlled way, but didn't quite manage.

"Are you awake?" Mr Cullen asked and drew his hand back from my face. His voice sounded as if he was standing right in front of me.

I kept my eyes closed.

"Isabella, I know that you're not sleeping. Open your eyes," he ordered.

I blinked and looked directly into his red eyes. He had crouched down next to my bed and I shrank away a little, surprised to see him this close. His face was only inches from mine. I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I didn't find the courage to do so.

"Please stop looking at me like a frightened rabbit every time we make eye contact," Mr Cullen sighed. "I am going to leave the house for some time; I have to deal with a few things. You can always call for Jonathan if there's anything you need."

I'd be damned if I did, I would rather starve to death. I forced myself to stay calm and keep a tight leash on my fear. He had said "for some minutes". Mr Thurgood couldn't possibly hurt me in such a short amount of time, could he?

I wondered what it was he had to deal with. Would he satisfy his hunger? Would he kill people to drink their blood? I shuddered.

Mr Cullen seemed to take note of my reaction and pressed his lips into a thin line, but he didn't say anything. It was exactly in this moment that my stomach decided to utter a loud roar that surely didn't go unnoticed by Mr Cullen. His eyes narrowed.

"You haven't eaten all day," he deduced and sounded genuinely concerned. "Why didn't you say anything? The needs of a human . . . I sometimes forget you need to eat on a more regular basis than someone of my kind."

I shook my head and almost told him that this had been nothing unusual to me until a week ago. A day without food was not that terrible. It got really bad on the second day.

"I will tell Jonathan to bring you some food. And I want you to tell me if I should forget to feed you again. I did not free you from those bastards to see you starving now. Do you understand me?"

He had said almost the exact same to Mr Thurgood. And I didn't want the latter coming into my room.

My room? What was I thinking? The room did not belong to me in any way. I owned nothing besides my mere life. And even that was endangered.

"I thought you'd maybe like to take a bath today. I laid out fresh clothes for you in the bathroom."

I nodded slowly.

"Does it have a lock?" The words just slipped out of me.

I would really like to take a bath since I never had the opportunity back home at my uncle's. Still, I didn't want to risk an unwanted visit by Mr Thurgood, especially not when I was naked.

Mr Cullen raised one of his eyebrows and smiled a little.

"I will let some water in; you can start in five minutes. See you soon, Isabella," he said and gave me a last look under thick lashes before he was gone.

What was this supposed to mean? Was there a key or wasn't there? I would need to find out myself.

God, I didn't want him to leave me alone with that appalling man! In all honesty, I wanted him to stay here by my side, because I now understood that he wouldn't hurt me. And I rather enjoyed his presence.

About five minutes later, I heard him talking to Mr Thurgood in a hushed voice. They had to be in the corridor downstairs. From this, I concluded that Mr Cullen had already filled the bathtub with water, even though I was clueless about how he had managed to do so in such a short time.

Silently, I went to the bathroom that I miraculously found without any problem.


	14. Chapter 12

Hey everybody!

Woow, it only took me one month to update the story (frantically applauding myself).

I'm sorry to say that this story doesn't have a beta reader any longer, so if you're interested in betaing my chapters, please PM me :)

And then there's a ****warning**** for this chapter as it contains some disturbing scenes, so be warned.

* * *

Chapter 12

When I stepped out of my room and saw the key in the lock of the bathroom door, I sighed with relief. I hoped that I would be able to put it into the lock on the other side of the door. I managed to do so, and when I locked the door I immediately felt more secure. I turned around and took a closer look at the bathroom.

It was incredible. Mr Cullen truly had a real bathtub in here. It seemed very valuable and to be made out of marble. The huge tub stood on four paw-like feet and was filled to the rim with water that exuded a rosy scent.

I dipped a finger in the clear water and was surprised to find it warm. How had he done this? He couldn't have possibly heated all this water in small pots. That man gave me riddle after riddle to solve.

Mr Cullen had laid today's dress on a small wooden stool next to the bathtub. It was light blue and was soft under my fingertips. Why did he spend that much money on dresses? I couldn't imagine that it belonged to his sister because she was at least six inches shorter than me. The two dresses I'd worn until now had fitted like a glove. Whatever.

I stepped into the comfortable warmth of the water. The tub was so big that I could stretch out my legs without problems. There were several little jars on a shelf at the wall next to me with soap inside. They all emitted a delicious sent.

Before I took a bit of soap, I just sat there for a few minutes, my eyes closed, enjoying the warmth. I had never felt so relaxed. Of course, my well-being didn't last long. I heard steps outside the door and seconds later Mr Thurgood's voice reached my ears.

"I brought your dinner to your room," he said, just on the other side of the door. I listened intently until he retreated and I couldn't hear his steps anymore.

I was kind of surprised that he had done what Mr Cullen had asked him to and left me alone. On the other hand, he couldn't really get to me through the closed door.

I washed thoroughly and climbed out of the bath tub. I would have loved to stay in there for a little while longer, but hearing Mr Thurgood's voice had put a dampener on my carefreeness.

There was a little outlet at the bottom of the tub, but since I didn't find anything to put underneath, I left the water inside. Also, it would be a pity to waste all that water. It wasn't that dirty yet.

I dried myself off with a huge and fluffy towel and put on a pair of shoes lying next to the bath tub, as well as the dress. Unfortunately, I didn't get very far. As it turned out, the dress had its laces on the back and had to be tied in such a complicated way that I didn't succeed at all. Cursing on the inside, I gathered the laces in my hand and pressed the dress to my body.

Sighing and with my hair dripping wet, I sat down on the rim of the bathtub in a very unladylike manner. Who was I trying to fool anyway? I was no lady but a simple girl from the gutter and not even this fancy dress could obscure that fact.

Should I just stay here until Mr Cullen returned? He would probably come back any minute now, wouldn't he? I stood up, took a deep breath and turned the key in its lock as quietly as possible. Mr Thurgood was downstairs, if my senses didn't betray me, and hopefully wouldn't notice.

Holding the dress pressed to my body with both hands, I walked back into my room and listened attentively to any noises before closing the door. I would need to ask Mr Cullen if he was so kind as to tie my dress. Had he planned this? He must have known that I wouldn't be able to tie it myself.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I banned these absurd and improper questions from my head. Instead, I focused on the tray on the bedside table. Knowing that Mr Thurgood had prepared the food for me, I really didn't feel like eating any of it. I knew how foolish that was since I should be glad to get any food at all. So I started eating with no appetite. After I had swallowed down a few bites, I froze.

Were those steps on the corridor? I looked around the room, thoroughly panicked and searching for a place to hide. Those steps didn't belong to Mr Cullen. He moved far more elegantly and soundlessly than Mr Thurgood who now trampled toward my room like an elephant.

Why hadn't I stayed in the bathroom? I really should have waited until Mr Cullen returned. Shit. I swallowed the food that was still in my mouth and then, following a sudden impulse, took off my shoes, got under the blanket and turned my back to the door. I tried to calm my breathing, but my heart was racing and all I was able to do was gasp for more air.

The door opened. I couldn't fight the shaking that took over my body and pressed my eyes tightly closed. The mattress dipped under his weight. Then there was a hand on my head, fumbling through my wet hair. I recoiled from the touch. He must know that I wasn't sleeping.

"Did you like your dinner?" I heard his deep voice behind me.

I couldn't move. His hand crawled over my neck and my shoulders until it pulled the blanket from my body. Without any barrier between us except for my dress which was not even properly tied, I felt utterly cold and turned to stone. His hand touched my naked back and went up and down, moving the laces around. Nausea welled up inside me.

"Maybe you _should_ stay here for a while. It would be a waste to . . ."

I felt his hand creeping under my dress, over my belly and then up to my breasts. My body felt as if it had shut down. I couldn't move.

". . . to sell you off."

He pinched my right breast so violently that I whimpered. Silent tears slid down my cheek. His free hand found its way back into my hair and pulled hard. Finally, I managed a scream. However, it didn't last long because he suddenly had his hand on my mouth and thus forced me to breathe in the revolting smell of tobacco, alcohol and other disgusting things. I held my breath, more and more tears hindering my sight.

His lips touched my neck and the stubble on his face scratched against my skin. The mattress lowered even more when the monster moved closer until he was directly behind me. By now, I was sobbing uncontrollably while at the same time trying not to gag each time I took a breath. The corners of my field of vision turned black and I forced myself to keep still and breathe regularly in order to keep my conscience. It wouldn't help me if I panicked now. His hot breath met my ear in short intervals.

"Edward can't have an eye on you all the time, girl. There will be many moments when we will be all by ourselves, just like now," he murmured into my ear.

His hand cupped my breast even harder and it hurt so goddamn much that I forgot my decision not to panic. I shivered with disgust, trying to roll myself tightly together, but he didn't let me. A burning sensation seized my throat and I could taste bile in my mouth. The darkness around me expanded, regardless of my attempts to keep calm.

"Mr Cullen will find out," I managed to mumble beneath his hand and at once got a kick against my back which pressed the air out of my lungs.

Mr Thurgood laughed nastily.

"You want to threaten me, girl? Be my guest and try – run to him and tell him everything. He'll laugh at you," he sneered and pulled me tighter against his front. I almost blacked out when I felt something hard against my behind. He wouldn't, would he? I wanted to die right then.

Incoherent thoughts raced through my head, dizzyingly fast. A voice in the back of my head screamed at me about how much this situation was similar to that a few nights ago. No, no, no! Not again!

"Thoughts."

I forced the word out of my mouth and tried unsuccessfully to crawl away from him. He only laughed.

"I made it my task to hide my thoughts from Edward during the last years. Vice versa, he doesn't even try to read my thoughts and gives me privacy."

His hand painfully pinched my nipple and he emitted a low growling sound. His hip began to perform circular movements against my butt. I pressed my eyes shut once again and didn't even try to fight the shiver that shook my entire body. Where was Mr Cullen?

"In your case, little beauty, he can't even read your thoughts, no matter how hard he tries. So you see; there is nothing that prevents us from having a bit of fun from time to time."

I sobbed. The tears wouldn't stop running down my cheeks. I just didn't understand how someone could be this revolting.

"Apart from the fact that he will return any second now," Mr Thurgood added with a sigh and suddenly let go of me. Full of relief, I felt the mattress going back in its original position as Mr Thurgood got up. But I still couldn't move. I felt utterly petrified.

"See you soon, sweetie," I heard him say. Then the door closed and his steps grew quieter.

Shaking all over, I slowly pulled the blanket back over me.

The minutes ticked by and I tried to just not think. If I did, I would lose my sanity. Eventually, I got up to change into my night gown. I felt filthy and would have liked to take a second bath to wash myself clean of the feeling of Mr Thurgood's hands on my naked skin.

Before I could strip out of my dress, voices from the foyer downstairs reached my ears and that took a load off my mind. Mr Cullen had returned. Sheer relief made my eyes water again and I quickly wiped the tears from my face. Would he come to me?

Not sure if I should get out of the dress now, I waited impatiently until I heard the door opening behind me. I hadn't registered any steps and quickly turned around, half expecting to find myself face to face with a nastily grinning Mr Thurgood. But it wasn't him.


	15. Chapter 13

Hellooo :)

I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter. And I apologize in advance for any mistakes you might detect, this is the first chapter without any beta reading.

Thank you guys for every single review, I'm always excited to read them! :)

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"I heard you," was the first thing Mr Cullen said when he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. A soft smile passed over his face and revealed a row of incredibly white teeth.

"I could read your thoughts, Isabella. For just a moment. You're very happy I'm back, it seems."

Heat spread over my cheeks and I lowered my gaze. Of course he didn't know the true reason behind my bottomless relief to see him.

Just now I wanted to tell him everything Mr Thurgood had done to me. But as soon as my eyes found his, I felt unable to utter a single syllable. For a change, his face didn't keep my attention for long because I noticed that he wore a shirt with its sleeves rolled up, showing a good portion of his lower arms. They seemed so muscular and strong. Involuntarily, I wondered how it would feel to be held by him. How his skin would feel on my own.

Only now did I realize that I had taken a step into his direction. His gaze travelled over my whole body in a way that made me feel hot all over. Then his eyes came to a rest upon my face and even though I wanted to break eye contact, I just couldn't. His eyes appeared to be a little brighter and much more . . . fiery than this morning. Was this change due to his having fed?

"Your eyes," I whispered.

At once, his gaze seemed to lose in intensity and a knowing expression settled on his face.

"They change color when I feed. The more time has passed since I drank, the darker they become. However, I've fed more often for a few days now than I usually do. That's why you will never see them entirely black."

Black?

"You needn't worry about me. I'm sure I could stomach their color," I assured him hastily.

For a short moment, Mr Cullen looked at me in disbelief. Then he broke into a musical fit of laughter. It reminded me of the way he had played the piano yesterday.

"You really think I go hunting this often to spare you the sight of my dark iris, don't you?"

I stayed glued to the spot while Mr Cullen steadily advanced. His bronze hair was less tidy than usual and I had to admit that I liked it even more this way and wondered how it would feel like to comb through it with my hand.

"Believe me, that's not even close to the actual reason," Mr Cullen continued and, much to my surprise, walked past me.

I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath. Of course he had walked past me. What had I thought he would do? Internally, I laughed at my own stupidity, slowly opening my eyes again. Right now, I was _really_ glad he couldn't usually read my mind. This would have been very embarrassing otherwise.

"What is the actual . . .," I began, but trailed off after those four words.

Suddenly, there were two hands on my shoulders, two thumbs brushing against my neck. I heard a chocking sound and only realized afterwards that it had come from me. Even through the material of my dress, I could feel the coldness that radiated off his fingers.

Mr Cullen pushed my hair over my left shoulder and I inhaled deeply, hoping to catch a note of his delicious scent. Even though his hands were cold as ice, heat crept to my cheeks.

"Yes?" he asked with a low chuckle. His fingers roamed down my back and I felt him grasp the loose ribbons of my dress.

I couldn't believe the suffocating feeling of disappointment that swept through me. He only wanted to help me tie the dress. Annoyed, I bit down on my lower lip and angry tears welled up in my eyes. I should slap myself for the path my thoughts had taken once again. And that after Mr Thurgood had made me gag and shiver with disgust just minutes ago.

It was more than frightening to admit to myself that I wanted to feel Mr Cullen's hands just where Mr Thurgood's had tormented me. I was the epitome of misery. How often did I need to tell myself how absolutely wrong it was to feel that way?

"Isabella?" Mr Cullen's quiet voice reached my ear.

I swallowed and blinked away my tears of irritation and anger, hoping my voice wouldn't give anything away.

"What is the actual reason?" I asked.

His fingers grazed the bare skin on my back and I shivered involuntarily. Luckily, I had already said what I wanted to say.

"The reason is that I'm being careful. A bit too careful if you ask my sister and Jonathan. But I don't want to take risks."

"But you've been living with . . . him for ages. He is human as well," I interjected. I just couldn't bring myself to pronounce the name of this horrible creature. I once again wondered what Mr Cullen saw in him.

While he was lacing my dress without so much as touching my skin with his pinkie, he laughed melodically.

"Jonathan's blood doesn't tempt me. It's polluted with all the drugs and alcohol he's consuming and it doesn't attract me in any way. I highly doubt it would attract any specimen of my species."

I nodded, signalizing that I understood.

Mr Cullen had reached the top of my dress and made a quick knot that left the dress pinned to my body like a second skin. His hands then returned to my shoulders and turned me into his direction. Quickly, I gazed at the floor to prevent him from detecting the chaos inside me.

"Leading me into temptation isn't even strong enough a term to describe what I feel when I smell your blood. It's so much more than that, Isabella."

I barely heard his last words and inhaled deeply as his sweet breath hit my face.

His fingers gripped my chin oh so softly and lifted my face until I was looking at him again. He was so close that I could see every detail of his face.

His thumb grazed my lower lip and the expression in his eyes changed. It somewhat softened. Mr Cullen leaned down until our noses were almost touching. I closed my eyes, hoping I wouldn't start hyperventilating. My nerves were on edge. Would he really . . .?

"Edward!" Mr Thurgood's voice had me coming to my senses and I leaned back. Mr Cullen uttered an incomprehensible string of words. He didn't sound very pleased.

He smiled at me, stepped back and took my hand to kiss it quickly. I felt like fainting when his cool lips touched my heated skin.

"The dress looks very good on you," he complimented me in a low voice. I wanted so respond, but the tension that was suddenly in the room had apparently stolen my capability of forming words and sentences.

"Are you still going to eat?" he asked while his eyes lay on the tray that was still on my bedside table.

I managed to shake my head no. Although I started to feel hungry again, I would certainly not swallow another bite of the food Mr Thurgood had given me. I wouldn't put it past him to try to drug me.

Mr Cullen frowned but nodded, took the tray and was gone in the next moment. When the door had fallen shut behind him, I sat down on the bed, sighing. It was only now that I remembered that I had actually meant to take the dress off. Mr Cullen's touch had driven all the thoughts out of my head. Hopefully, I would at least be able to untie it myself.

Curiously, Mr Cullen had not only managed to tie my dress but also to improve my mental state immensely. I had completely forgotten to tell him about Mr Thurgood. It really wasn't fair that he provoked these reactions in me and that I wasn't even able to fight it. This couldn't end well.

Had he intended to kiss me? It surely had felt that way. My anger at Mr Thurgood grew even more because he was the one that had called for Mr Cullen. And that was just sick. I should probably be thankful. Who knew, maybe Mr Cullen would have treated me the same way those monsters from a few nights ago had treated me? Or like Mr Thurgood. I shivered.

I looked around the room and my gaze fell on the many books that stood neatly next to one another on the shelf. Maybe I could distract myself that way.

Walking slowly up and down in front of the shelf, I searched for a book that sparked interest in me. There were a lot. The only problem was that it took me ages to decipher their titles. Most of them seemed to be written in English, but I really wasn't a good reader.

Eventually, I chose a thin leather-bound book. Its title read: "A True Relation of Occurences and Accidents in Virginia" and it had been written by a certain John Smith in 1608.

With the book in my lap, I sat down on the bed and tried to make sense of the letters and words on the first page, but it was hard. After having tried for an hour, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I put the book onto the small bedside table and lay down.

There were two things that helped me fall asleep that night, even though Mr Thurgood wasn't far away. On the one hand, it had been interesting to try and read John Smith's story, although I hadn't made it past the first two pages. I hadn't held a proper book in my hands in ages. On the other, Mr Cullen's presence in the house eased my mind enormously and I couldn't help but imagine the feel of his lips on mine.


	16. Chapter 13,5

Hey everyone :)

This one's a little shorter, hope you don't mind. Thanks for your reviews!

Enjoy!

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Chapter 13,5 - Edward's POV

Isabella's chest rose and fell with regular breaths. I was sitting at the side of her bed and watched her sleep. Surprisingly, this was something I had come to enjoy more and more during the previous days. If someone had told me a few days ago that I would find nothing more fascinating than watching a girl sleep, I would have laughed. I had never even thought about doing it. But Isabella was special.

I still couldn't believe that I had told her the truth about me. And it was even harder to believe that she had stayed so calm after my revelation. Truth be told, I thought it very probable that she woke up any second and bolted. But minute after minute went by and she didn't rise from her deep slumber.

My gaze went back to the book that lay on her bedside table and that I had already seen upon entering. I reached for it and took a closer look at the cover. It turned out Isabella had chosen to read about John Smith's discovery of America and his encounter with Pocahontas. Even though I heavily doubted that any passage of the book held a tiny snippet of truth, I liked it. Obviously, Isabella got a taste for it as well.

It was evident that she hadn't made it very far though, since she had put a little piece of paper between the pages to mark her progress. She seemed to have had difficulties reading it. Maybe I could help her one day. Smiling, I put the book back onto the small table, in the exact position she had left it in. I didn't want her to notice my nightly presence at her bed.

My thoughts returned to the incident earlier this evening when Jonathan had interrupted us. I remembered my sudden wrath and the need to inflict pain upon him for disturbing our togetherness. If Isabella hadn't been present, I sure would have hurt him. But she was so untainted and soft that I would never do that to her. Another smile found its way onto my face when I thought of her innocent words. She had actually thought I would drink that much blood to spare her the sight of my black iris. She was too good for this world.

For some time, I simply enjoyed sitting next to her and watching her sleep. However, there was a thought that always sneaked back into my mind. Since yesterday, I had been thinking about this nonstop. I had heard her voice in my head. For the second time. And if that wasn't strange enough in itself, I hadn't even made an effort in either of the cases. Her thoughts had attacked me so to speak. And this had never happened to me before; neither with another vampire nor with a human.

Although I found my reaction to hearing her thoughts for the first time comprehensible, I was still furious with myself for having scared her that way. I needed to keep a tight leash on my anger while she was present.

Only now did I realize that I had reached out for her face and put my hand carefully on her warm cheek. Unbelieving, I stared at my treacherous limb. Normally, I never acted this subconsciously. Why did this little girl tantalize me in such a way?

One thing was for sure: She was the first human in all my endless existence that I had given that much attention. And also the first one whose opinion I cared about. My train of thought was interrupted by the warm feeling of her skin beneath my thumb. I felt the peculiar urge to fulfill all her wishes, to make her laugh and see that enchanting smile on her face which I couldn't see often enough. In other words: This girl seemed to change me completely. She was on the best way to awake the humanity that dozed somewhere deep inside me. And I didn't even try to resist.

The way she had behaved during the last hours had a flicker of hope rising inside me. She had opened up a little, at least to me. After my sister had left, I had been worried that Isabella would draw back into herself, but fortunately, that had not been the case. Alice had given me courage and assured me that all would be well, but only now did I begin to believe in her words.

Maybe I would take Isabella to the market tomorrow. I was certain that she hadn't taken much part in public life up until now. The market with its many colorful stands, the exotic smells and other sensory impressions was possibly exactly what she needed right now to help her live a happier life. And this was nothing short of what I wanted to give her.

Sighing, I took my hand from her cheek and leaned back. What was I doing? The closer I felt to her, the more vulnerable I became. If the wrong people got wind of my attachment to her, it would be my undoing.

My thoughts wandered to Aro. Then further on to Jonathan and him suggesting selling Isabella off to Aro. I had barely been able to restrain myself from beating him black and blue. Didn't he see how fragile she was? She probably wouldn't survive a day in Aro's captivity. When I imagined the disgusting creatures he would sell her to, I felt the irrational anger rise back up inside me. Not her, certainly not her!

Yet I couldn't risk showing myself too attached to her before Jonathan either. I trusted him, but I also knew that Aro was able to come up with a lot of creative ways to make a human man talk. Hell, He even knew how to make a vampire talk.

Isabella sighed quietly in her sleep and slowly turned onto her other side. The movement brought a wave of a rosy scent from her shampoo to my nose, mixed with her own sweet scent and the unbelievably intoxicating one of her blood. For a moment, I had to turn away and hold my breath to concentrate on the essential; not attacking her.

For a few hours now, the thought of desensitizing had been wandering around my head. During the many years I had lived on this earth, I had learned to control and to cut back on my thirst for human blood. Perhaps, I would manage to do the same in Isabella's case if I only spent enough time with her. Until I eventually wouldn't notice any difference in my thirst for her blood and that of everybody else. Well, this was the theoretical part.

When I noticed that it got less and less dark outside, I threw an unbelieving gaze at my pocket watch. I had spent more than six hours in her room and hadn't felt bored in any way at any time. It rather felt as if I had just entered.

Slowly, I got up and hesitated for a second. Could I risk getting closer to her? Ultimately, my desire outweighed my reasoning and I leaned down, still holding my breath. As carefully as possibly, I planted a quick kiss on her cheek. It didn't compare to the kiss I had given her on the hand before she had gone to bed. My lips practically stood on fire and I felt a different kind of thirst in me, the thirst to wake her up, stay by her side and not take my lips off her skin. But that would be so, so stupid and dangerous, and so I tore away from her and left the room.


	17. Chapter 14

Hey there,

Thank you all for your reviews!

Enjoy :)

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Chapter 14

I was woken up by the little sunlight that found its way through the curtains into my room. Blinking a few times, I yawned heartedly. My gaze fell onto the slim book that I had started to read yesterday. It seemed to be a real adventure story. Just as I extended my hand to grab it and read on, my stomach emitted a growling sound.

Sighing, I dropped my hand again. My appetite had multiplied during the last days - I was really getting used to these regular meals. I rolled my eyes, noticing the absurdity of my thoughts. I was not living under normal circumstances now and I was sure that, sooner or later, I would be denied these things again.

My stomach, however, did not seem to share this point of view, for it growled louder and louder. Just now, I wished that Mr Cullen could read my mind without any restrictions, because wouldn't that come in handy in moments like this? Thinking of mind reading, I remembered Mr Cullen's theory of him only being able to read my thoughts when I was feeling particularly emotional. Now that I came to think about it, shouldn't he have noticed my huge fear of Mr Thurgood then? If that hadn't been a strong emotion, I did not know what was. My anger toward Mr Cullen had been nothing in comparison to that, and that he had been able to perceive. It somehow didn't add up, there had to be another reason.

A little disappointed that this at first so logical explanation had deemed itself untrue, I got out of bed. Yesterday, I had been so tired that I hadn't even tried to strip out of my dress, the result now being that my back hurt in the areas where the laces had been too tight.

Back when I had been living with my uncle, I hadn't minded wearing the same dress day in and day out. It seemed to be perfectly normal for people like Mr Cullen to change their clothes each day though. I therefore tried to reach the tied up laces at my back to open the dress, but my arms were neither long nor bendable enough. Mr Cullen had tied the laces in such a complicated manner, that I couldn't even find their end. I gave up, my stomach hinting at its lack of food anew with a long-stretched growl.

Hoping that I would find Mr Cullen downstairs, I left my room. In the hallway, however, I hesitated. What if Mr Cullen was absent and I would only meet Mr Thurgood down there? An icy cold swept down my back at this thought. If I wanted to placate my growling stomach, though, there was no room for my cowardly behavior, I told myself.

I silently went on and took the stairs. The house was really eerily silent, but I heard the rustling of paper somewhere. Someone seemed to be reading the newspaper and I didn't think Mr Cullen spent a lot of time doing that. And if he did, he would certainly not make any noise. I followed the sound to the saloon. When I had been here last time, I had heard those horrible things Mr Thurgood had said. I dreaded that I would witness similar things now. But there were no voices.

When I stood directly in front of the room, I tried to see through the gap between the slightly open door and the wall, but could see nothing but a dark blue curtain and a piece of wallpaper next to it. Cautiously, I opened the door a bit further and peeked around the corner.

My heart stopped for a long moment, when I saw Mr Thurgood sitting at a round table, reading. Damn it! I could feel the blood leaving my cheeks as he caught my glance. A disgusting grin spread over his unshaved face. Bile rose in my throat because I suddenly had the pictures of yesterday morning's events in my head again.

"Good morning, girl," he said, folded his paper and then put it on the table.

I took a step back. No. No, no, no. Would he come after me? Mr Cullen was not here and I voluntarily ran into the arms of this monster. That was just dumb. Why hadn't I called for Mr Cullen in my room? He had promised he would hear it and if he hadn't answered, I could have deduced that he was not in the house.

Quickly, I took another step back in order to turn around and run, when I felt something hard collide with my back. At the same moment, a familiar and exquisite scent enwrapped me and I could barely prevent myself from sighing with deep relief.

"Mr Cullen," I croaked. The blood came rushing back to my cheeks and I tried to banish the picture of Mr Cullen having his arms around me from my head. Now, I really was thankful that he could only read my mind in certain situations.

Just like he had done yesterday, when he had tied my dress, he put his hands on my shoulders and turned me around so that I was facing him. He looked down at me and smiled, his blood red eyes sparkling. He left his hands on my shoulders. Once again, I could only stare at him, feeling blinded by his perfect appearance. There was not the smallest wrinkle on his smooth skin. He was just too beautiful to be true. Today, he wore a deep green frockcoat which created a fascinating contrast to his eyes. I got lost in them and inexplicably felt all warm and secure. His eyes seemed to darken.

"Edward," he said roughly and I blinked at him, confused. "Please call me by my first name. Good morning, Isabella."

His velvet voice gave me gooseflesh and I was glad I wore a long sleeved dress so that he couldn't see.

"Good Morning," I replied in a too high pitched voice. Slightly embarrassed, I lowered my gaze and cleared my throat. It was unbelievable that I forgot everything, including Mr Thurgood, when I was in his presence. I needed to concentrate more. Luckily, my stomach growled just then to help me find my thoughts.

"I would like to eat something," I said and avoided his fiery red eyes because I knew I wouldn't be able to avert my gaze.

"I heard that," he smiled and looked down at my traitorous stomach.

I heard someone move behind me and knew that it was Mr Thurgood. At once, I felt petrified again. Mr Cullen looked over my shoulder, gave a nod to Mr Thurgood and looked back down at me.

"I would have brought you something already had I known what you would like to eat."

Mr Thurgood snorted behind me and I felt inclined to share his opinion of the absurdity of this, even though I didn't like him. Mr Cullen could have brought me anything and I would have eaten it. I had never had the opportunity to choose what to eat.

"You can just give me a quarter of my recent portions, that would me more than enough", I assured him. "I don't have any particular preferences."

"I believe you do," Mr Cullen countered and I felt his sharp gaze on me. In a low voice, he continued: "Look at me, Isabella."

I felt myself reminded of the last time he had said that to me. In comparison, his voice sounded that much softer now. As I gazed up at him again, he nodded approvingly.

I want to take you with me to the market," he said. "We can leave immediately. Would you like to join us, Jonathan?"

Completely taken by surprise, I didn't find any words to object at first. Going to the market? With Mr Thurgood? Surely not. And there were way too many people anyway. Maybe even the men that were looking for me. Also, I had never been to a market before, I didn't even know how to behave.

"Actually, I would prefer . . .," I began, but Mr Cullen interrupted me.

"Staying here. I know, but I won't let you."

I flinched back a little when I heard his decisive tone. I had so gotten used to his understanding words in the last days and almost forgotten that there was another, more domineering side to him. I pulled myself together. Only a few days ago, I had wanted nothing more than to flee this house and now I wanted to stay suddenly? That the only reason for my change of opinion stood right in front of me, didn't particularly calm my nerves.

I came to the conclusion that it would be better to keep my mouth shut and to hope that Mr Thurgood did not intend to join us. For a change, God seemed to hear my pleading.

"I hope you don't mind that I will stay here, my friend," Mr Thurgood's unpleasant voice came from behind me. The small hairs on my arms went erect again, this time for a whole other reason than before though.

"But you're right, of course. She should have a bit more fat on her ribs. In this state, she is almost too fragile for Aro and . . ."

He was cut off by a deep growl and before I could blink, Mr Cullen had moved me to the side and stood before Mr Thurgood. I couldn't see his face anymore, but he sounded absolutely infuriated.

"Aro won't get his filthy hands on her, do you understand?" he hissed and took another step toward Mr Thurgood who seemed to shrink. Then he put up his hands in a comforting gesture and laughed nervously.

"Nothing but a joke, Edward," he answered quickly and actually sounded as if he was afraid.

Upon hearing that, Mr Cullen straightened up, turned around and smiled . . . in an apologizing way? Yes, he really seemed to feel sorry for Mr Thurgood's behavior. I felt a bit of hope. He wouldn't sell me off, would he?

"Let's go," Mr Cullen said and gave me his arm.

At the thought of touching him, I felt like being struck by a bolt of excitement. However, my conscience took over.

"I can't show myself like this," I objected and pointed down at my appearance. My hair was unkempt, my cheeks certainly still red from sleep and I could count the wrinkles on my dress. Not mentioning those on my forehead.

Mr Cullen laughed melodically.

"Of course you can. Wait a moment."

Suddenly, he had disappeared. I blinked and looked around, but I didn't have the faintest idea where he could have gone.


	18. Chapter 15

Mr Thurgood murmured something in an annoyed tone behind me and I dreaded that he would come closer, but his steps went in the other direction. I heard the chair scrape across the floor before he sat down again. Apparently, he didn't dare come near me as long as Mr Cullen was around.

That shouldn't have surprised me because just now, Mr Cullen reappeared before me. He was carrying a long piece of blue cloth which was slightly darker than the one I was wearing right now. His other hand held a small brush and a plump red apple.

"Eat this," he ordered and gave me the apple.

I took it from him and bit into it immediately. Enjoying the rich taste, I closed my eyes for a moment. I had been so hungry.

When I opened my eyes, Mr Cullen had disappeared again. Or so I thought until I felt something touching my neck. The dark blue cloth was sliding over my shoulders and Mr Cullen stepped into my field of vision to tie the laces of what seemed to be a cape. His cold hand grazed my neck once again and I couldn't stop thinking about how good that felt and that I never wanted him to stop tying the cape for me.

Way too fast, he had finished and then proceeded to comb my hair, which wasn't bad either. Very softly, he combed through each strand until not the tiniest knot was left. While he did so, he placed his hand on top of my head to prevent the comb from tearing out any hairs. In the places he touched me, my skin seemed to stand in flames and I had to rein myself in to not lean into his chest. This was just ridiculous.

When Mr Cullen had finished, he stepped in front of me to examine the result of his efforts. He seemed content. And then, ever so slowly, he lifted his hand and placed it on my left cheek. I couldn't resist the invitation and leaned into his touch. Since my face felt abnormally hot now, I perceived the cold of his skin as even more arctic, but didn't care at all. If anything, it made me feel even more hot.

"I like the way your cheeks redden whenever I touch you, Isabella," Mr Cullen whispered in such a low voice that I barely understood him.

When I did, I didn't know where to look. Why in the name of God did he say such things to me? He dropped his hand and offered me his arm again. This time, I linked my arm with his and let him guide me outside.

The feeling of his strong arm underneath my fingertips had my heartbeat accelerated. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a rather self-satisfied grin spread over his features. He must be able to hear every single beat of my heart, which embarrassed me more than a little.

As soon as we had reached the garden, I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders that I hadn't even noticed until now. Taking a deep breath, I felt as good as I hadn't felt in a long time. The ma- vampire at my side probably contributed his fair share to that, but I'd rather not think about that in depth.

I dared giving him a closer look, especially directed at the parts of his body that weren't covered by any clothing. Last time when he had taken me outside, his skin had glittered in that strange way, but now it seemed almost human-like. Of course, it was still too impeccable and immaculate to be entirely human, but that was only noticeable on second glance.

Maybe it was the weather? The sun had burned from the sky when his skin had shone like diamonds. Today, however, there was a thick layer of clouds above us that didn't let a single ray of sun through.

For a while, we walked alongside each other in silence. The farther we walked, the more uncomfortable I felt. What would happen if the three vampires that had savaged me saw me here?

"Edward," I wanted to begin, but clamped a hand over my mouth abruptly. Had I lost my mind, calling him by his first name? He had said that I should, but how could I be so dumb as to actually do that?

Against all my expectations, he only chuckled and put his hand on top of my own and pulled it away from my mouth, as if to encourage me to go on. I took a deep breath. It was alright, he wasn't enraged. He wanted me to call him Edward.

"I fear that . . .," I murmured and lowered my gaze, mortified. What was I even doing? I entrusted all my fears to a vampire? Where had my caution gone?

"What do you fear?" he asked intently, looking me straight in the eyes.

"The men, the three . . . vampires," I resumed. I was surprised with myself that I actually said the word.

Mr Cullen stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at me.

"You have no reason to be afraid, Isabella. My sister and I made sure that they will never be able to touch you again. And as long as you're with me, nothing will happen to you anyway," he promised.

"They will never . . . does that mean they're . . .?"

"Stone-dead, yes," Mr Cullen confirmed. "If that wasn't the case, Aro would have sent someone by now. They wouldn't have kept silent about who shut them up."

That sounded reasonable, but I was astonished nonetheless.

"You said you put them to flight." Or had I only imagined that?

An almost guilty expression appeared on his face.

"I didn't want you to be afraid of my sister and me. If I had known you were afraid all along that they would find you again, I would've told you earlier."

I gulped and had to put up some effort to concentrate on my steps as we walked on.

"But how could you do that so fast? They were three and you only two. And your sister is only a woman," I said, feeling slightly confused.

He emitted an amused sound which seemed to vibrate through my body.

"Don't ever let her hear that. Alice is not who she seems to be. There are enormous powers slumbering inside her and she is definitely stronger than a human man. I already told you that those bastards were much younger than us. It didn't take much to kill them. They were inexperienced."

Oh. I would need to process that information. Edward's beautiful face, contorted to a mask of rage, appeared before my inner eye. Yes, he really could become this animalistic creature if he wanted to. I couldn't help imagining how he had killed the three vampires and felt a little dizzy.

Could he be as old as Alice? Or even older? It was hard to imagine that I was walking next to a man that was probably hundreds of years old.

"Aro will search for you nonetheless. He also knows that his men were killed by vampires. Luckily, there are several representatives of my species in this area, so we needn't worry that he suspects me. Especially because we maintained a close friendship until some years ago," Mr Cullen said thoughtfully.

I was overcome by guilt. What would happen if Aro found out? Would he punish Mr Cullen? Would he be able to punish him, was he stronger than Mr Cullen? Was that why Mr Thurgood was so afraid of him?

"If you get into trouble because of me . . .," I murmured.

Fury darkened Edward's eyes and I felt his muscles tensing underneath my fingers.

"Don't you dare think that any of this is your fault. The only one guilty is your uncle, Aro and the vampires that attacked you. You don't have to worry about me, Isabella," he said softly and gave me an encouraging smile.

"You didn't need to save me though. Why did you do it?" I couldn't help but ask.

Mr Cullen sighed and fixed his red eyes on me. I promptly stumbled over a loose stone and would have fallen if Mr Cullen hadn't caught me. His hands lay on my hips as he cautiously moved me into an upright position again. I felt his ice-cold skin through the layers of my dress and cloak and still felt hot all over. I heard his quiet laugh and pulled myself together. This couldn't go on! If I lost control every time he looked at me, this wouldn't end well.

"Are you alright?" he asked and his breath tickled my ear.

For a moment, I was tempted to say No. Maybe he would keep his hands on my hips for a bit longer then. My cheeks were burning and I nodded quickly. Shortly afterwards, his hands were gone and I cursed the disappointment that spread inside of me. I couldn't deny that his man had an unhealthy amount of power over me that I just couldn't get rid of.

We made a few steps in silence.

"To come back to your question: That is exactly what I asked myself at least a dozen times, Isabella," he then said. I felt the corners of my mouth turn downwards and tried to keep a neutral face.

"I should probably simply be saying that I recognized Aro's men and since I know his way of life, I wanted to spare you that. And that is part of the truth."

There it was again, this "way of living". When I had asked him about that the last time, he hadn't given me an answer, so I just let it slide.

"But I want to be honest with you," Mr Cullen resumed in a tone that had me all excited for some reason. "If you had been any other girl, I wouldn't have interfered. It was your exceptional scent that made me curious. As well as the fact that I couldn't read your mind. You were bleeding so severely that I'm still not sure how I could resist feeding off you. You seem to have awakened the humanity that is still buried somewhere deep inside of me."

"Oh," I said. I couldn't come up with something more eloquent. I had never thought about the struggle he must have had to not drink my blood when he had carried me home.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Mr Cullen grin to himself and nod.

The first stalls came into view in front of us. More people crowded the street and there were a thousand noises which were getting louder by each step.

When I took all of this in, I felt a bit nauseous. I had never been amid so many people because I had only ever left my uncle's house at nighttime or at sundown. And that as rarely as possible.

"Don't be afraid," Mr Cullen said and placed his free hand on top of my own. I clung to his sleeve, as I noticed now. Slightly embarrassed, I let go and enjoyed the feeling of his skin on mine. His touch comforted me immensely.

We got closer to the stalls and market criers until we found ourselves in their midst.


End file.
